CO3_2021

FLOW Panel discussion on... In addition, most panellists highlight the importance of collaborations to reach the full potential of continuous flow technology and its applications. This includes collaborations between academic labs specialising in flow chemistry and industrial partners where funded scholarships (at PhD and postdoc level) are seen as a powerful and proven vehicle for effective knowledge transfer. Furthermore, efforts to create consortia comprised of industry, academia and equipment vendors are highlighted in many responses. This may involve endeavours by big pharma companies and smaller CMO/CDMO partners in view of creating multidisciplinary teams to maximise the outcomes of these initiatives. Related to this is a continuing call by most panellists to intensify the training of graduates in the field of flow processing, both for chemistry and chemical engineering students. Whilst it is acknowledged that several institutions offer lecture courses on this topic, hands-on training via undergraduate laboratories is clearly lagging behind, and inmany cases, offers too little too late. Academics are best suited to drive this necessary change as classical laboratory curricula rely almost exclusively on teaching batch operations, however, support from funding bodies and future employers is needed to strengthen such calls in view of providing the necessary funds. Lastly, it is apparent that the panellists still see areas of activity where flow chemistry has not yet been exploited to its fullest extent. Key areas include the adaptation of reaction modelling and machine learning approaches to advance our use of flow reactor technology towards self-optimising platforms. Additionally, the exploitation of continuous processing to not only affect chemical transformations but integrate various downstream operations aided by in-line PAT has been emphasised. It is hoped that such endeavours will increase the flexibility and modularity of tomorrow’s flow technology platforms towards greener chemical synthesis and regional manufacturing. There is no doubt that this important field moves at a fast pace and that flow technology is playing a key part to solve many issues including those arising from the current pandemic. Specifically, reports are emerging that showcase the use of flow processing to realise faster ‘time-to-market’. This is of significance to ensure the supply of essential drugs and develop effective routes towards new medications in a deglobalizing world that seeks to overcome costly supply issues. Flow chemistry thus remains an exciting area of interdisciplinary research and future applications will highlight its success in creating modern chemical entities to meet tomorrow’s needs. Since its advent in academia and the fine chemical industry in the early 2000s, continuous flowchemistry hasmatured into a powerful and widely applied technology that now routinely complements analogous batch processes. From assessing the responses in this year’s panel discussion, a number of trends continue from previous years whilst new themes appear. As such it is clear that flow chemistry is frequently exploited by academic and industrial chemists when faced with hazardous chemical reactions, unstable intermediates, multiphasic systems (e.g. gas/liquid and liquid/solid) or transformations that can be expedited via telescoping. Most users thereby appreciate the value of commercial, ready-to-use flow reactor platforms, however, amongst industrial chemists (both big pharma and various CMO/CDMO) the ability to design and built customised flow skids is highlighted as a relevant feature to deliver scaled and fit-for-purpose flow processes. A further trend that continues from previous reviews is that both users and customers wish to exploit flow technology to increase the sustainability of their chemical processes. Evidently, many contemporary flow applications target photochemistry, electrosynthesis and biocatalysis with great success. The reduced carbon footprint of modular and reconfigurable flow reactors is additionally seen as an advantage over traditional batch equipment to generate less chemical waste and reduce overall energy consumption. Clearly, the desire by regulators as well as the wider public for greener manufacturing strategies is behind this development and will ensure that we continue to strive towards cleaner and more efficient means for creating tomorrow’s materials and drugs. MARCUS BAUMANN Assistant Professor in Continuous Flow Chemistry School of Chemistry, University College Dublin Marcus Baumann is currently an Assistant Professor in Continuous Flow Chemistry at University College Dublin, where his team focuses on continuous approaches for generating new molecular scaffolds. Prior to joining UCD, he undertook postdoctoral studies at University of California Irvine (with Prof. Larry Overman) and Durham University (with Prof. Ian Baxendale) and earned his PhD from the University of Cambridge (with Prof. Steven Ley)." Chimica Oggi - Chemistry Today vol. 39(3) 2021 14