MsRI-Planning Workshop: National Center for Automated Chemical Synthesis and Democratized Molecular Innovation (ACSDMI)

With support from the Division of Chemistry, Professor Martin Burke at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is organizing a workshop to discuss the optimal design of a midscale national facility for automated chemical synthesis that would act as a nexus point for the creation and organization of synthetic data to address critical needs in our ability to make molecules, democratize molecular innovation beyond synthetic experts, and provide opportunities to powerfully accelerate advances in core research areas critical to our national welfare and security. While the use of automated processes for the preparation of biomolecules, particularly DNA and proteins, has revolutionized the advancement of research in biology over the past two decades, challenges associated with the autonomous linkage of a wide range of different substructural chemical fragments have hampered the development of similar systems for the complete synthesis of organic molecules such as small-molecule pharmaceuticals, materials, and fine chemicals.

Recent transformative advances in chemistry, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing have yielded new technologies that have the potential to overcome these hurdles and make automated chemical synthesis across a wider swath of chemical space possible. This workshop will consider the best way to organize a facility to maintain national competitiveness with the rapidly growing demand for molecules, to effectively function in a field that has not previously been facility-focused, and to serve as a disruptive game-changer for synthetic chemistry and all disciplines that benefit from on-demand synthesis of non-commercial compounds.

Synergistically, the workshop will also consider unique training opportunities that a midscale facility for chemical synthesis could enable and how the broadening of access to chemical synthesis via automation could be leveraged to advance community engagement, education, and the diversification of innovation.

The workshop will bring together experts in synthetic automation, traditional synthetic chemistry, artificial intelligence, user interfaces, and analytical instrumentation integration with potential end users in material and biotechnology applications, educators focused on training for future chemical careers, and directors of established facilities to discuss critical design elements for a mid-scale automated synthesis facility. Through a series of carefully organized breakout sessions, participants will explore ideas for: 1) establishing a facility that supports an ecosystem for democratized molecular innovation, 2) critical infrastructure design elements, 3) plans for operation and maintenance, and 4) key aspects of training and education.

Molecular innovation discussions will include what is needed to support the advance of chemical synthesis, the demand for new molecules in materials science and biotechnology, and the integration of industrial collaboration for improved data sharing. Facility design breakout sessions will include topics such as robotics and software needs, chemical analysis integration, and user interface.

Operation and maintenance planning will consider options for running and maintaining such a facility post-construction. Training and education discussions will consider the skills and experiences necessary to support a disruptive next-generation community of molecule makers. Integration of workshop outcomes into a synthesized report is planned, to address the needs and priorities of intersecting scientific communities regarding the design of a mid-scale facility for automated chemical synthesis and democratized molecular innovation.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.