Cornell Researcher Uses Nanotech to Cut Waste In Drug Manufacturing

Tyler McQuade, a chemist at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, is using nanotechnology to curb the amount of waste generated by the pharmaceutical industry in drug manufacturing. According to McQuade, for every pound of medicine produced, there are 25 pounds of waste, much of it from toxic solvents. "Every time you pop an ibuprofen, think of the trash can you've created," said McQuade.

Cornell chemist Tyler McQuade

McQuade is using Cornell's NanoScale Science & Technology Facility (CNF) to develop a new approach to drug manufacturing, which usually requires a number of reactions, each performed in a separate vat, and each creating its own waste. McQuade has engineered tiny capsules with catalysts inside that could bounce around in one vat while carrying out multiple reactions.

His research team is close to synthesizing Prozac, which was chosen because it is a relatively simple molecule. The manufacturer of Prozac is not a sponsor of the research. His next target is Crixivan, a drug used to treat HIV, which is a more complicated molecule. A simpler manufacturing process could cut the cost of drugs as well.

According to McQuade, traditional chemistry keeps reactions separate, because mixing things together can cause them to destruct or not work properly. "If you were to make your gravy and bread in the same bowl, I don't think you'd end up with bread or gravy," he said. "You'd end up with a mess."

McQuade's goal is to make the technology widely available so it can have an impact on the environment, and can help make drugs cheaper.

Find out more at: www.chem.cornell.edu/faculty/index.asp?fac=39