Chemical Synthesis in Microreactors

To develop a new generation of drugs, pharmaceutical companies need to be able to synthesise and screen novel chemicals with enhanced speed. New technology that would enable a cost neutral step change in the number of potential drug candidates would provide a distinct competitive advantage. Indeed the miniaturisation of chemical reactors offers many fundamental and practical advantages of relevance to the pharmaceutical industry, who are constantly searching for controllable, information-rich, high-throughput, environmentally friendly methods of producing products with a high degree of chemical selectivity. This chapter reviews the current and future applications of microreactors that could enhance the drug discovery process.