Flow chemistry trial to validate local manufacture capability
A collaboration between Melbourne chemical company Boron Molecular and DMTC Limited is testing a new system capable of synthesising drugs at scale, quickly and continuously.
“The system uses a method known as ‘flow chemistry’,” Boron Molecular’s Director of Business Development, Dr Oliver Hutt said. “It should give us the sovereign capability to produce life-saving drugs right here. We’ll be able to avoid supply chain delays from foreign manufacturers.”
Flow chemistry has been pioneered in Australia by the national science agency, CSIRO, and the CSIRO team is also supporting the DMTC project.
The method uses a precise balance of thermal and ingredient input controls that enable a chemical reaction to occur continuously. The process is often safer, more precise, and less expensive than traditional batch manufacturing.
DMTC Medical Countermeasures Program Leader, Dr Felicia Pradera, said the pilot program currently underway seeks to provide proof-of-concept that flow chemistry can be used to make large quantities of specific medications on demand.
Read the full press release here.
Posted by Harry Baxter on March 31st, 2021 Tagged: collaboration, CSIRO, defence technology, DMTC, MCM