Oregon State University Scientists Rich Carter, a professor of chemistry, and Hua Yang, a postdoctoral research associate have developed a new organic catalyst. This "organocatalyst" could make drug production worldwide more environmentally friendly, cost effective, and efficient.
(image Courtesy of OSU)
The new catalyst, called "Hua Cat", is the first product to be successfully developed and released using money from the University Venture Development Fund, a 2007 bill passed by the Oregon legislature. The bill's purpose was to help Oregon businesses by allowing them to take advantage of cutting edge university science, and the development of the Hua Cat organocatalyst will certainly help fulfill that purpose. The new catalyst is more affordable and more effective than the older, often toxic, catalysts of the past.
Catalysts facilitate reactions without being a consumed in the reaction themselves. They are an essential part of industrial drug production due to the "chiral" nature of the molecules that make up the majority of medicinal drugs. Chiral molecules are compounds that fit together perfectly after they react and often need a catalyst to make them react.
The current catalysts that are used in industrial drug production are often very expensive toxic metals which are difficult and costly to dispose of. However, the newly developed Hua cat catalyst will provide a cheap, environmentally friendly alternative to current catalysts. It is made of harmless materials such as cleaning solvents, soaps, and amino acids and is ten times more soluble than current catalysts. This novel catalyst will be an important factor in facilitating new drug discoveries.
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What effect will this new kind of catalyst have on ongoing drug R+D?