Organic crystal research gains funding
An international project investigating a new method of controlling the growth of organic crystals, with potential benefits for pharmaceutical development, has been awarded EU funding.
The MagnaPharm project aims to direct polymorphism in pharmaceutical compounds by crystallising them in high magnetic fields. The ability to direct polymorphism could have a transformative effect on almost all pharmaceutical compounds.
MagnaPharm builds on the discovery that organic crystal growth can be controlled using magnetic fields. This innovative method is to be applied to a range of pharmaceutical compounds, initially targeting 12 of the most high-profile, high-worth generic drugs with the aim of controllably synthesising the desired polymorph of each.
Dr Simon Hall will lead the project, with colleagues from University College London, UK, the University of Limerick, Ireland, and the High-Field Magnet Lab in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, as co-investigators.
The grant awarded was €2.9m.
Hall said: “With the 12 representative generic drug molecules targeted in the initial stages of MagnaPharm responsible for €18bn of sales per year worldwide, and with the development of many new pharmaceuticals being hampered by solid form issues, control over the production of the most pharmaceutically desired crystal is a truly paradigm-shifting prospect.”
