Embarking on a chemical space odyssey

The chemical space explored in drug discovery programs is restricted by a narrow reaction toolkit and the frequent failure of even these reactions with polar and functionalized substrates. Recently, high-throughput reaction optimization has been integrated into discovery workflows, thereby increasing the value of specific reaction classes in the toolkit. It is likely that high-throughput experimentation will enable expansion of the synthetic chemistry that is widely exploited in discovery, thereby increasing innovation in medicinal chemistry.