Serendipity discovery research

Sir Bernard Lovell, the founder of Britain s Jodrell Bank Observatory, brings our attention to a present development which, unfortunately, does not favor serendipitous discoveries. What he wrote about astronomy in 1984 is certainly valid for chemistry too I was enthusiastic when. .. computers became a major force in astronomical research. .. But even the greatest blessings tend to be mixed. .. Computers are no exception. .. I fear that literal-minded, narrowly focused computerized research is proving antithetical to the free exercise of that happy faculty known as serendipity. .. . 

This book contains what I call an interlude on the logic, the psychology, and the serendipity of scientific discoveries. Readers may wonder what the correlation is between that short Chapter 9 and diazo chemistry. The specific reason for including it was to elucidate the dediazoniation mechanism of aromatic diazonium ions, but I expanded this mechanistic discussion (Sec. 8.3) in the interlude by including general aspects originating in the philosophy of science as developed by Karl Popper and Thomas S. Kuhn, ideas which, in my opinion, should be better known by all scientists working in chemical research. 

DeStevens, G. Serendipity and stmctured research in dmg discovery. Prog. Drug. Res. 1986, 30, 189-203. 

The discovery of vinblastine and vincristine is one of the most intriguing examples of serendipity in scientihc research in recent years. In 1952, the Canadian medical researcher Robert Laing Noble (1910-90) received a package from his brother. Dr. Clark Noble, containing 25 leaves from the Madagascar periwinkle plant. Vinca rosea. Clark had received the leaves from one of his patients in Jamaica, who said that natives on the island often used the plant to control their diabetes when insulin was not available. Clark, who was retired, suggested that his brother study the plant for possible use as a drug for the treatment of diabetes. 

In the early days of automated synthesis there was a fear amongst researchers that it would reduce the chances of serendipity. However, experience has now shown that, when used in sensible way, the, automation of the design, synthesis and test cycle can increase significantly the odds of chance discoveries of new compound that have attractive properties to the company in unforeseen ways. 

The discovery of new drugs may occur by luck or serendipity or as the result of some brilliant insight. However pharmaceutical companies cannot depend on chance occurrences as a research strategy. The aforementioned me-too approach has hardly been abandoned and it is likely that the marketing of a novel drug will soon be followed by a number of competitors agents but with the caveat that the latter offer some therapeutic advantage over the prototype. 

Serendipity plays a big part in scientific research. The term serendipity means a discovery made by accident. One of the most profitable discoveries made this way is the material Teflon. The name Teflon is the trade name of a type of plastic made by the DuPont Chemical Company. It has become an important commercial product for one main reason very few things stick to Teflon. Most kitchen cupboards probably contain skillets and other pans with cooking surfaces covered with Teflon. Most food will not stick to Teflon-covered pans as it cooks. And foods cooked in Teflon pans need no oil or butter. 

The discovery of the mood-elevating effect of MAO inhibitors was a classic example of serendipity in drug research. In 1951, isoniazid and its isopropyl derivative, iproniazid, were successfully introduced for the treatment of tuberculosis. In contrast to isoniazid, iproniazid was found to produce undesirable stimulation in some patients. In 1952, Zeller and his co-workers demonstrated that iproniazid was capable of inhibiting MAO, whereas isoniazid was ineffective (Zeller and Barsky 1952 Zeller et al. 1952). In 1956, Crane analyzed the psychiatric side-effects of iproniazid and came to the conclusion that it might be beneficial in the treatment of depression (Crane 1956). In 1957 Kline introduced it as a psychic energizer (Kline 1958). At the same time Kuhn discovered the antidepressant effect of imipramine (Kuhn 1957). This opened the way to the most powerful antidepressant therapy to date. 

Dr. Biel I think that serendipity has to be planned. Unless you have a research person who is primed to make a discovery, he will not make a discovery. There are other factors that play into the hands of serendipity that s one item I had to leave out because of the pressure of time, but a drug discovery is really something relative. The term discovery is relative in the sense that other disciplines have to be ready to recognize the discovery. 

Since their accidental discovery forty years ago, much has been learned about the formation of liposomes and ways to engineer them for more efficient delivery of their contents. This is another example of the marriage of serendipity, an accidental discovery, with scientific research and technological application. As the development of new types of liposomes continues, we can expect that even more ways will be found to improve the human condition. 

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