Pioneering research and skills
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Billion dollar breakthrough EPSRC-sponsored chemists from the University of Bristol have perfected a much quicker way to create synthetic prostaglandins – fatty acids which the human body produces to regulate a range of vital activities including blood circulation, digestion and reproduction. The team have developed a method for making these molecules in only seven steps – compared to 20 steps using conventional technologies, meaning they can treat many more people for the same cost. Some synthetic prostaglandins are ‘billion dollar’ drugs. Latanoprost, for example which is used to treat glaucoma, generates approximately $1.6 billion in sales each year.
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