Stick to the beads: supercharging medicinal chemistry and methodology development with ChemBeads

Abstract

This perspective explores the development, preparation, and widespread application of ChemBeads, a solid reagent delivery platform designed to overcome longstanding challenges in miniaturized and automated chemical experimentation. Originating from innovation at AbbVie, ChemBeads are formed by dry-coating active reagents onto inert carrier beads, transforming poorly flowing powders into uniform, flowable materials compatible with robotic and manual dispensing. Enabled by resonant acoustic mixing (RAM) or alternative techniques like vortex mixing, ChemBeads have streamlined high-throughput experimentation (HTE) and medicinal chemistry workflows. Their applications span a wide range of transformations including photoredox catalysis, cross-electrophile coupling, C–N and C–H functionalizations and late-stage oxidations. Industrial and academic case studies highlight the critical role of ChemBeads in accelerating the development of new synthetic methodologies that would have otherwise taken significantly longer to accomplish. By solving the long standing problem of material handling at a miniaturized scale with efficiency and generality, ChemBead technology formed the foundation of the AbbVie Discovery HTE platform and positioned us as one of the industry leaders in this field. Over the years, we expanded the technology to make it greatly accessible to academic institutions by making the process economically and operationally friendly. In parallel, we extended this technology in other areas, which ultimately promoted industry–academia collaborations. The technology's expansion into biocatalysis (EnzyBeads), solubility assays, and solid form screening further demonstrates its adaptability.