Skeletal editing is a modern approach to chemical synthesis. By making precise alterations at the atomic level, researchers are able to directly convert existing drug scaffolds into new, biologically relevant compounds.

A team led by chemist Prof Armido Studer from the University of Münster has developed a new strategy based on this technique to swap carbon atoms with nitrogen atoms (“C-to-N atom swapping”). The process functions within indole and benzofuran frameworks. These chemical structures, which contain two molecular rings consisting mainly of carbon, are common building blocks of pharmaceuticals and natural products.

“This technique expands the synthetic toolbox available for skeletal editing,” explains doctoral student Zhe Wang, who carried out most of the experimental work. It represents a step forward in the development of new molecules from established pharmacophores, i.e. the molecular components responsible for pharmacological effects.