{"id":16906,"date":"2025-08-25T16:27:57","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:27:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T16:27:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:27:57","slug":"reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Start Strong, Scale Fast: Reframing Process Chemistry in Preclinical Drug Discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-dark-blue-500-color has-text-color has-link-color has-text-2-5-xl-font-size wp-elements-f13dd42d1f1f87260fa38a811537ff6e\">There\u2019s a persistent belief in drug development circles that process chemistry starts when clinical trials begin. That until you\u2019re ready to produce GMP material at a CDMO, there\u2019s little need to think about routes, scale, or robustness. Even at this stage not everything must be GMP! It\u2019s a misconception we\u2019ve seen cost programs both time and money, and in some cases, derail them altogether. Because in reality, the earlier you involve process chemistry, the more you de-risk your path forward.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-dark-blue-500-color has-text-color has-link-color has-text-2-xl-font-size wp-elements-2eeb85b6035574c88705c8dc6fd8e3fa\">The Real Cost of Waiting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In early-stage discovery, it\u2019s easy to defer tough decisions. Speed is critical, and the focus is often on quickly accessing new compounds to drive SAR. Medicinal chemists naturally prioritize flexibility and exploration, which means rapid iteration, often on linear or patchworked synthetic routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But as projects move toward lead optimization, those early synthetic decisions can become expensive liabilities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fragile or impractical routes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bottlenecks in accessing key intermediates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>High variability between batches<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Safety or environmental concerns at scale<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Delays in preparing material for preclinical studies or CDMO transfer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By the time a compound is ready to be scaled, too many teams find themselves&nbsp;<strong>starting over<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-dark-blue-500-color has-text-color has-link-color has-text-2-xl-font-size wp-elements-fc01d2f284fe9b4637bc89965b530569\">Start Strong: Process Chemistry as a Discovery Enabler<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At Sygnature Discovery, we approach this differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than treating process chemistry as a late-stage bolt-on, we integrate process chemists early, alongside synthetic and medicinal teams during the discovery phase. This approach doesn\u2019t slow things down. In fact, it does the opposite.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Process chemists are expert troubleshooters.<\/strong>&nbsp;They think in terms of route efficiency, reproducibility, cost, and safety, even when working at small scale. By contributing early, they:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Identify and simplify problematic steps before they become showstoppers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Develop robust, scalable routes behind the scenes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create phase-appropriate processes that are easy to hand over or scale up<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free up medicinal chemists to focus on what they do best: discovery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-dark-blue-500-color has-text-color has-link-color has-text-2-xl-font-size wp-elements-a39388a1345686914a6f1c2bea5940f1\">A Proven Model: Embedding Process Chemists into Discovery Teams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most effective strategies we\u2019ve implemented is embedding&nbsp;<strong>one or two process chemists<\/strong>&nbsp;into a&nbsp;<strong>5\u201310 person medicinal or synthetic chemistry team<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The impact is immediate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Projects\u00a0<strong>don\u2019t lose momentum<\/strong>\u00a0as they move toward candidate nomination<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Routes are\u00a0<strong>built to scale<\/strong>\u00a0without compromising speed or creativity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teams avoid\u00a0<strong>duplicating effort<\/strong>\u00a0across chemists working on divergent series<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preclinical material is\u00a0<strong>delivered faster and more efficiently<\/strong>, without last-minute surprises<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t theory, it\u2019s a&nbsp;<strong>model our clients have embraced<\/strong>. In every case where we\u2019ve introduced this embedded approach, the teams have kept it, and expanded it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-dark-blue-500-color has-text-color has-link-color has-text-2-xl-font-size wp-elements-f8cb21e7a5e5ce0b4858b5df037e279d\">Scale Fast: Building the Foundation for What\u2019s Next<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While CDMOs play a vital role in the clinical and commercial stages, discovery-stage chemistry still lays the groundwork. Without early process insight, CDMOs often have to&nbsp;<strong>reverse-engineer the route<\/strong>, introducing delay, rework, or even changes in regulatory filings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By contrast, process chemists involved early can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deliver\u00a0<strong>fit-for-purpose material<\/strong>\u00a0in gram-to-kilo quantities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Generate\u00a0<strong>transferable analytical packages<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide data that supports\u00a0<strong>toxicology studies<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>CMC planning<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensure smoother, faster\u00a0<strong>tech transfer<\/strong>\u00a0with fewer surprises<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn\u2019t just about operational efficiency. It\u2019s about&nbsp;<strong>preserving project momentum<\/strong>, reducing risk, and maximizing your investment in discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-dark-blue-500-color has-text-color has-link-color has-text-2-xl-font-size wp-elements-4ca475ce91fa76dec90656ba2f4a8138\">Why It Matters Now<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In an increasingly competitive R&amp;D environment, where timelines are compressed and failure rates are unforgiving,&nbsp;<strong>starting with scalability in mind is a strategic advantage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Process chemistry doesn\u2019t need to slow down innovation. Done right, it&nbsp;<strong>accelerates it<\/strong>, and gives your molecule the best chance of success, whether you\u2019re headed for the clinic, licensing, or partnering.e foundations are solid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-dark-blue-500-color has-text-color has-link-color has-text-2-xl-font-size wp-elements-a798f80278ad96d14f691836c11aa7c3\">Conclusion: Don\u2019t Wait for the CDMO to Think About Process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At Sygnature Discovery, we believe in&nbsp;<strong>starting strong, so you can scale fast<\/strong>. Process chemistry isn\u2019t a checkpoint, it\u2019s a catalyst. And when integrated early, it gives you the confidence to move forward faster, knowing the foundations are solid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Integrating process chemists in discovery teams isn\u2019t just efficient, it\u2019s transformative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","category":[797,794],"class_list":["post-16906","blog","type-blog","status-publish","hentry","category-chemistry","category-process-scale-up-chemistry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Start Strong, Scale Fast: Reframing Process Chemistry in Preclinical Drug Discovery - Sygnature<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_CA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Start Strong, Scale Fast: Reframing Process Chemistry in Preclinical Drug Discovery - Sygnature\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Integrating process chemists in discovery teams isn\u2019t just efficient, it\u2019s transformative.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sygnature\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sygnature-hit-to-lead-team-collaboration-scaled.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimation du temps de lecture\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/blog\\\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/blog\\\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\\\/\",\"name\":\"Start Strong, Scale Fast: Reframing Process Chemistry in Preclinical Drug Discovery - Sygnature\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-25T16:27:57+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/blog\\\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/blog\\\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/blog\\\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/page-daccueil\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Start Strong, Scale Fast: Reframing Process Chemistry in Preclinical Drug Discovery\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/\",\"name\":\"Sygnature Discovery\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Sygnature\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Sygnature\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/Logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/Logo.svg\",\"width\":1,\"height\":1,\"caption\":\"Sygnature\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\\\/fr\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Start Strong, Scale Fast: Reframing Process Chemistry in Preclinical Drug Discovery - Sygnature","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/","og_locale":"fr_CA","og_type":"article","og_title":"Start Strong, Scale Fast: Reframing Process Chemistry in Preclinical Drug Discovery - Sygnature","og_description":"Integrating process chemists in discovery teams isn\u2019t just efficient, it\u2019s transformative.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/","og_site_name":"Sygnature","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/sygnature-hit-to-lead-team-collaboration-scaled.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Estimation du temps de lecture":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/","name":"Start Strong, Scale Fast: Reframing Process Chemistry in Preclinical Drug Discovery - Sygnature","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-08-25T16:27:57+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/blog\/reframing-process-chemistry-in-preclinical-drug-discovery\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/page-daccueil\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Start Strong, Scale Fast: Reframing Process Chemistry in Preclinical Drug Discovery"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/","name":"Sygnature Discovery","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Sygnature","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"fr-CA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/#organization","name":"Sygnature","url":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Logo.svg","width":1,"height":1,"caption":"Sygnature"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/16906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/16906\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sygnaturediscovery.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=16906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}