Application of Lean Manufacturing Concepts to Drug Discovery: Rapid Analogue Library Synthesis

The application of parallel synthesis to lead optimization programs in drug discoveryhas been an ongoing challenge since the first reports of library synthesis. A number of approaches to the application of parallel arraysynthesis to lead optimization have been attempted over the years, ranging from widespread deployment by (and support of) individual medicinal chemiststo centralization as a service by an expert core team. This manuscript describes our experience with the latter approach, which was undertaken as part of a larger initiative to optimize drug discovery. In particular, we highlight how concepts taken from the manufacturing sector can be applied to drug discoveryand parallel synthesis to improve the timeliness and thus the impact of arrays on drug discovery.