Ketamine: a breakthrough process for a revolutionary antidepressant
CiTOS (the Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis, MolSys Research Unit), headed by Jean-Christophe Monbaliu, has developed an innovative process for the production of ketamine, a molecule with a revolutionary potential used to treat severe depression.
K
etamine, mostly known for its strong dissociative properties and recreational use, is back in the pharmaceutical business. On March 5, 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of one of its forms as a revolutionary drug for the treatment of severe depression. What makes ketamine unique as an antidepressant medication is its ability to reduce depressive symptoms from the first intake, whereas the effects of conventional treatments take several weeks if not months to be effective.
In this very competitive context, the team with the Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis (CiTOS, UR MolSys) under the direction of Jean-Christophe Monbaliu has developed an innovative flow process for the production of ketamine and its analogs. This process, which has just been published in the journal Green Chemistry(1), exploits the intrinsic properties of continuous flow technology and offers an intensified alternative with a very low environmental footprint.
One of the fluid reactors used for the production of ketamine
"This project was much more than just a transposition of an existing process under continuous flow conditions; we have redefined the chemistry toward ketamine in order to propose an economically and environmentally favorable alternative" explains Jean-Christophe Monbaliu. "This is a remarkable example of teamwork, despite the many constraints and technology leverages that we had to overcome ».
The Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis is licensed by the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) for the manufacture of ketamine.
Scientific reference
(1) Victor-Emmanuel H. Kassin, Romaric Gérardy, Thomas Toupy, Diégo Collin, Elena Salvadeo, François Toussaint, Kristof Van Hecke and Jean-Christophe M. Monbaliu - Expedient preparation of active pharmaceutical ingredient ketamine under sustainable continuous flow conditions, Green Chemistry, March 2019.
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About the authors
Victor-Emmanuel Kassin, Romaric Gérardy and Thomas Toupy are doctoral students at CiTOS.
François Toussaint is currently Master student (2018-2019) and Diégo Collin was a Master thesis student (2016-2017) at CiTOS. Dr. Elena Salvadeo is a researcher at Alysophil, currently affiliated at CiTOS. Prof. Kristof Van Hecke is a crystallographer at Ghent University.
Jean-Christophe Monbaliu (Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Université catholique de Louvain, 2008) joined the University of Liège in 2013 after several years of specialization in new process technologies applied to synthetic organic chemistry, among others at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is currently Associate Professor within the RU MolSys (Faculty of Sciences). He created the Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis (CiTOS) in 2013, where he is developing new methods in organic synthesis through the use of micro and mesofluidic reactors. Research programs at CiTOS revolve around the development of processes for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients and the valorization of biosourced platform molecules.
