Project Summary
A group of NIH supported investigators requests funds to purchase a high throughput experimentation
equipment. This equipment will significantly increase the number of new biomedical-related compounds
synthesized and characterized at UCLA. The equipment will also facilitate the development of new and
improved synthetic tools that can access complex, bioactive chemical structures in a selective and sustainable
manner. Improved access to higher quality and quantity data with this equipment will facilitate efforts to build
data-driven, machine learning tools for chemical synthesis. Specifically, we request funds to purchase a Junior
system from Unchained Labs to automate the sample preparation, reaction execution and product processing
for analytical analysis. Reaction screening will be possible with this system by probing from 25+ different solid
reactants, prepared at a wide range of concentrations. The entire robotic system will be placed in a
nitrogen-filled glove box, and specialized gas phase reactants will be used this way. Reactions will be carried
out at different possible temperatures, from -20 to 180 C, and a pressure range of up to 200 psi. Special
reactors will be included to allow for electrochemical and photochemical reactions to be carried out. The
proposed equipment will be supported and administered by the UCLA Molecular Instrumentation Center (MIC),
a campus-wide, integrated facility formed to enhance the accessibility of existing shared, sophisticated
instrumentation facilities to the broader research community at the institution.