Research

The Microreactor Technology Laboratory – MRTLab was founded in 2014 in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Biochemical Technology at School of Pharmaceutical Sciences from University of São Paulo with the purpose of synthetize drugs and drugs intermediates in continuous flow process using microreactors aiming to increase the productivity of organic synthesis reactions.

The basic premise of MRTLab is the sustainability of chemical-pharmaceutical processes, seeking practices that lead to reduction of waste generation, reuse solvents, reagents and inputs.

The MRTLab had a precursor which was founded in 2004, the Effluent Treatment and Valorization Laboratory-LTVE, which, as its name suggests, aimed to treat effluents from biochemical-pharmaceutical industries and recover phenol, an important reagent in the chemical-pharmaceutical industry.

LTVE was financed through two grants from São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp) and one from National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). In this research field, 5 master’s degree students and 1 Ph.D student concluded their research and 53 undergraduate students from Scientific Initiation program had their internship in our laboratory. Additionally, 96 research assignments were published in national and international congresses and 13 research papers in specialized journals.

MRTLab was funded through 3 Fapesp grants (one ongoing). To date, 6 master’s degree students, 3 Ph.D student and 3 post doctorate concluded their research, while 57 undergraduate students from Scientific Initiation program had their internship in our laboratory. Additionally, 78 research assignments were published in national and international congresses, 10 research papers in specialized journals and 4 patents have been requested.

We have currently in underway 7 Scientific Initiation students (1 student from the Faculty of Pharmacy of Bieberach, Germany), 1 Ph.D and 3 post doctorate.

The following research grants are in progress:

“Synthesis of Atenolol®, Metoprolol® and Ranolazine® in flow using glycerol derivatives as reagents”. Funded by Fapesp.

“Intensification of Chemical-Pharmaceutical Processes and Reduction of Waste Generation”. Productivity Grant in Technological Development and Innovative Extension. Funded by CNPq.

The following international collaboration is underway with the Technical University of Berlin, Germany, financed by Fapesp:

“Ultraprecision Machining and Two-Photon Lithography in the Manufacturing of Micro and Millireactors for the Synthesis of Drugs Based on Chlorohydrins” Fapesp – SPRINT – São Paulo Researchers in International Collaboration TU Berlin, Germany