Miniature combinatorial chemistry system to get drug discovery tryout

A miniaturized combinatorial chemistry technology developed by Nanoscale Combinatorial Synthesis Inc. (Nanosyn; Tucson, AZ) will get a full-scale test at ArQule Inc. (Woburn, MA) under a new agreement between the firms. ArQule says it will provide funding for the project for a period of up to two years.

The pact, disclosed this week, calls for Nanosyn to perform custom chemical synthesis projects that will enable ArQule to evaluate Nanosyn's Accelerated Nanoscale Synthesis Technology, tradenamed ANST. The ANST system incorporates nano-scale, solid-phase combinatorial synthesis, high-performance bead handling, high-throughput automated structure determination, proprietary analytical methods, and software to produce micro-scale amounts of single, pure compounds. Specific financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

ArQule markets products and services intended to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the drug discovery process. Among them: accelerated lead optimization services, screening libraries, and access to the firm's high-throughput parallel synthesis technology through licensing agreements. Besides the ANST system, Nanosyn offers a collection of analytically characterized compounds preformatted for high-density screening.

For more information, contact Doug MacDougall or Vivienne Blake of ArQule Inc. at 617-577-8110, or contact Nanoscale Combinatorial Synthesis Inc. at 520-799-7621 or info@nanosyn.com.

Edited by Gordon Graff
Managing Editor, Laboratory Network.com