Synthesis, Scale-Up and Synthetic Route Development 

At the foundation of Evotec’s medicinal chemistry group is a talented and industry-experienced team of >350 synthetic organic chemists supporting medicinal chemistry-driven projects through literature review and data-mining, focused library preparation, building block preparation, route development and scale-up synthesis. In addition to a full understanding of reaction mechanisms, by-products and related parameters, all activities are enhanced by a highly qualified group of analytical chemists to provide structural characterization and to ensure the quality of the final compounds.

With an excellent understanding of the drug discovery process and in particular how important cycle times are, our chemists work with the goal of delivering high quality compounds in a short timeframe. 

Our chemists use state-of-the-art equipment and technologies including:

• Flow chemistry
• Photo-redox chemistry
• Microwave reactors
• Parallel synthesis
• Automated purification systems
• Mechanochemistry
• Electrochemistry

Leveraging expertise in a wide range of compound classes and problem-solving capabilities, our chemists provide quality molecular design, and execute highly challenging syntheses and isolation procedures, in areas including: 

• Heterocyclic drug-like small molecules 
• Natural products 
• Steroids 
• Macrocycles 
• Nucleosides 
• Complex carbohydrates 
• Linear and cyclized peptides 
• Peptidomimetics 
• Bifunctional molecules inlcuding PROTACs

Moreover, Evotec has strong experience in developing enantioselective synthetic methods and has also a full range of chiral separation technologies including SFC to deliver single enantiomers. 

Evotec can supply large quantities of molecules of interest through a team of very experienced chemists originating from chemical development. 

Our scale-up chemistry capabilities include: 

• Large scale synthesis of API and Intermediates (100 - 200 g)
• Route scouting (new route of synthesis) for IND process
• Optimization of synthetic routes
• Crystalline salt selection
• Full technical package for smooth and rapid transfer to larger scales for GMP batch synthesis
• Large-scale batch preparation of preclinical development candidates (PDC) ready for in-depth pharmacological characterization and early toxicity studies with a well-defined crystalline form and optimized synthetic process ready for GMP transfer