S4:E1 Chemistry Unplugged: Listener Q&A and Future Insights

We're kicking off Season 4 (holy cow!) by having a lively discussion answering listener questions on everything from our favorite Boc deprotection methods to the role of AI in the world of chemistry. We also share how flow chemistry is being used in discovery and process chemistry and conclude with what we feel would be disruptive chemistry innovations that could shape 2025. Plus, find out how you can influence the conversation by sharing what you want to hear more of in 2025!

Antibody drug conjugates, or ADCs, are all the rage in the industry right now and chemists play an important role in their development. This month we sat down with Serge Ruccolo and Marion Emmert to talk about their papers in this area. Their work addresses two main challenges of ADC development: 1) potent handling of cytotoxic payloads and 2) selective unmasking of cysteine residues to enable conjugation to the antibody. Tune in to hear how one develops these chemistries; How electrochemistry and microfluidics can be useful tools for the chemistry of these important molecules. You'll learn a ton, we did! Read the papers we discussed today: “Build Your Own” ADC Mimics: Identification of Nontoxic Linker/Payload Mimics for HIC-Based DAR Determination, High-Throughput Optimization, and Continuous Flow Conjugation - OPRD Electrocatalytic Reduction of Disulfide Bonds across Chemical Modalities - Org Lett Follow the Pharm to Table podcast on X - ⁠⁠⁠⁠@PharmtoTablePod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pharm-to-table

Ready to go with the flow? Then this episode is for you! In this episode, we dive into the exciting world of Continuous-Flow Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis (CF-SPPS) with special guests Kyle Ruhl and Mike DiMaso. We kick off the episode with a brief overview on various techniques used to synthesize peptides and how each method fits within the drug discovery/development timeline. From there, we serve up their recent paper on leveraging flow to synthesize peptides - exploring the challenges they faced, such as accommodating resin swelling and optimizing synthesis times. We do our best to shield you from any discussions about math when they dive into linear velocity which helped drive peptide synthesis optimization. Discover how CF-SPPS is unleashing rapid, multigram peptide deliveries, culminating in a remarkable 20-gram yield of a 10-mer peptide in just 4 hours! Read the paper we discussed today: Continuous-Flow Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis to Enable Rapid, Multigram Deliveries of Peptides Follow the Pharm to Table podcast on X - ⁠⁠⁠⁠@PharmtoTablePod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pharm-to-table

Join Dani and LC as they peel back the layers on podcasting in chemistry. This insightful episode dives into their recently published Organic Letters editorial "Should You Start a Chemistry Podcast?" with special contributor and corresponding author Matt Horwitz from Synthesis Workshop sharing his unique perspective. But that's not all - get ready for an artistic twist as Brendan Burkett from Chemscrapes reveals how he transforms chemistry concepts into visually striking designs for the chemistry community (including CEN!). Whether you're an aspiring podcaster, a chemistry communicator, or just someone fascinated by the interplay of science and art, this episode promises an engaging exploration. Tune in for a candid discussion blending personal experiences, creative insights, and a passion for making chemistry more accessible to all. Don't miss this multimedia showcase!" Follow the Pharm to Table podcast on X - ⁠⁠⁠⁠@PharmtoTablePod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pharm-to-table Org. Lett. featured: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.orglett.3c04181

Time for the main course! Our #MerckChemistry hiring experts are dishing out more savory tips to help you get hired in pharma. In this second part, they'll guide you through mastering the job talk, nailing those crucial on-site interviews, and evaluating offers strategically. Learn how to deliver an engaging presentation, handle tough questions, and leave a lasting impression. Get advice on navigating those 1:1 interviews with poise. Once you've aced the interviews, find out how to weigh compensation packages and negotiate the most appetizing offer for your career growth. Whether you're a fresh grad looking to land that first gig or a seasoned pro ready for the next opportunity, this episode is the secret sauce you need! Follow the Pharm to Table podcast on X - ⁠⁠⁠⁠@PharmtoTablePod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pharm-to-table

Looking to kickstart your career in the pharmaceutical industry? This episode is a must-listen! We have special guests Jamie McCabe Dunn, Val Shurtleff and our very own Dani Schultz - hiring managers in Discovery and Process Chemistry - to share insider tips. In part 1 we talk about building a rock-solid network, crafting a standout CV that gets noticed, and acing those crucial first interviews. We also answer listener questions submitted on LinkedIn. Whether you're a fresh grad or an experienced pro, our experts will give you the competitive edge to land your dream job in pharma! Plus, stay tuned for Part 2 we tackle how to ace your job talk, prepare for interviews and steps to take after receiving an offer! Follow the Pharm to Table podcast on X - ⁠⁠⁠⁠@PharmtoTablePod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pharm-to-table

Alexandra Sun and Harrison Rose join the pod to share their work on a vision-guided automated liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) platform. That's right, before our robot overlords overtake us, they are going to help chemists and engineers with work-ups first! Even though it's often taken for granted, liquid-liquid extractions are part of virtually every chemical reaction for product isolation. Developing these unit operations is critical to chemists and engineers who design processes and Harrison and Alex's new tool can help expedite this. We also asked them for their secret to developing the best phase cuts! We learned a lot on this episode, and we hope you do too! Read the papers we discussed today: ⁠Vision-Guided Automation Platform for Liquid–Liquid Extraction and Workup Development - OPRD General Principles and Strategies for Salting-Out Informed by the Hofmeister Series - OPRD Follow the Pharm to Table podcast on X - ⁠⁠⁠⁠@PharmtoTablePod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pharm-to-table

Patrick Fier and Suhon Kim join the pod to share their lates collaboration on a new C-N cross-coupling protocol which leverages a novel multifunctional template reagent. The work emerged from a side-project that started many years ago on the creation of the "Aminator" reagent which inspired the latest reaction. The couplings have very broad scope and Suhong and Patrick explain their motivation for pursuing the work and insights about the reaction enabled by this reagent. We learned a lot on this episode, and we hope you do too! Read the papers we discussed today: ⁠Transition-Metal-Free C–N Cross-Coupling Enabled by a Multifunctional Reagent - JACS A Multifunctional Reagent Designed for the Site-Selective Amination of Pyridines - JACS Follow the Pharm to Table podcast on Twitter - ⁠⁠⁠⁠@PharmtoTablePod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pharm-to-table

Nadine Kuhl (process chemist) and Jacob Forstater (engineer and physicist) join the pod to share a pretty neat story that had its origins from a chemical catalog brochure advertising a new and green solvent called Cyrene. From that brochure blossomed a really amazing biocatalytic transamination to make a key chiral amine building block. In order to make this process more robust and tolerant of organic solvents, the team immobilized the transaminase enzyme and leveraged a Spinchem rotating bed reactor (we also had no idea what this was, but now we do) to make a robust process. We learned a lot on this episode, and we hope you do too! Read the papers we discussed today: Amination of a green solvent via immobilized biocatalysis for the synthesis of nemtabrutinib - ACS Catalysis Utilizing biocatalysis and a sulfolane-mediated reductive acetal opening to access nemtabrutinib from cyrene - Green Chemistry Follow the Pharm to Table podcast on Twitter - ⁠⁠⁠@PharmtoTablePod⁠⁠⁠ Visit our website at ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pharm-to-table

Charles Yeung (@Charles_chem) joins the pod to share some of the latest results from a collaboration with Prof. Wickens' lab (@WickensGroup) at the University of Wisconsin Madison. In their latest paper published in Angewandte Chemie, they disclose a practical and general protocol for alcohol dehydrogenation - putting the Barton-McCombie on notice! The work was supported by a Merck post-doctoral fellow, Myriam Mikhael (@MyriaMikhael), who shares her experience as an industrial PDF. Read the papers we discussed today: Practical and General Alcohol Deoxygenation Protocol - ACIE Translating Planar Heterocycles into Three-Dimensional Analogs by Photoinduced Hydrocarboxylation - ACIE Follow the Pharm to Table podcast on Twitter - ⁠⁠@PharmtoTablePod⁠⁠ Visit our website at ⁠⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pharm-to-table