3 Green Chemistry Principles Every Biotech Team Should Know
Green chemistry isn’t just for chemical manufacturers—it’s becoming essential for biotech startups, too. Whether you’re synthesizing new compounds, optimizing RNA delivery, or scaling early-stage drug leads, following green chemistry principles can save costs, reduce environmental impact, and appeal to eco-conscious investors.
Here are three core principles that are especially relevant to biotech R&D teams:
1. Design for Energy Efficiency
Many traditional synthesis routes require high heat or pressure. Opting for methods that work at room temperature—like electrosynthesis—can reduce energy usage, make lab setups safer, and lower operating costs.
2. Minimize Derivatization
Extra steps like protecting or deprotecting functional groups often use additional reagents and generate waste. In biotech workflows like peptide synthesis or nucleic acid modification, designing around unnecessary transformations keeps your chemistry lean and clean.
3. Use Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries
Solvents like dichloromethane and DMF are common in drug development, but also toxic and difficult to dispose of. Water, ethanol, or ionic liquids are greener alternatives that are increasingly compatible with biotech applications.
By adopting these practices early on, you’ll build a more scalable, regulation-ready pipeline—and stand out to funders and partners who value sustainability.
Explore more tips in our Green Chemistry Resource Hub and learn how to apply these principles to your own lab.
