Development and Commercialization of the MiniBlock Synthesizer Family: A Historical Case Study

An internal development project at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) led to invention of a family of organic chemistry synthesis blocks for both parallel synthesis in drug discovery and parallel reaction optimization in pharmaceutical development. The internal demand for these synthesis blocks became so great that the original development team was challenged by the burden of ongoing manufacture, support, and supply chain management. As a result, BMS entered into a unique industry partnership with Mettler-Toledo AutoChem (MT), Newark, DE, formerly Bohdan Automation, to commercialize the reactor blocks and extend the product family, now known as the MiniBlock line. This manuscript describes the initial development drivers, the overall technical design, and the ultimate successful commercialization of the MiniBlock synthesis family.

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