By Pesach Benson • April 19, 2026
Jerusalem, 19 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) — In drug discovery, making a new medicine is often compared to building something at a very small scale. Chemists have to connect tiny molecular pieces in just the right way to create drugs that can treat infections, brain disorders and other diseases. One important piece they often want to add is called a dichloromethyl group. It helps scientists adjust and improve drug molecules, but it has been very difficult to work with. The usual ways of adding it frequently damage the molecule they are trying to build.
But a new Israeli study offers a simpler approach that could revolutionize how medicines are developed.
Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for Drug Research found a way to attach the dichloromethyl group by using a natural amino acid that already exists in the human body to gently guide the desired reaction. The study was published in the peer-reviewed Nature Communications.
That amino acid, called proline, works like a helper or guide. It attaches briefly to the starting molecule and helps position it correctly so the new chemical group can be added safely. This means the reaction can happen without breaking apart delicate molecules, which is a major problem with older methods.
“Rather than forcing these molecules into conventional reactivity modes or circumventing their electronic ambivalence, we harnessed their electronic ambivalence as a design principle,” said Prof. Dmitry Tsvelikhovsky, who led the research together with Elihay Kuniavsky and Dvora R. Levy.
The researchers also found that the process has a built-in filtering system. When the reaction starts, the molecule can form two shapes. Only one shape is correct and continues to become the final product. The other shape does not work and breaks back down into harmless starting material. This helps keep the final product clean and reduces waste.
This matters because the dichloromethyl group is useful for improving how drugs work. It acts like an anchor point that lets scientists fine-tune a molecule’s properties, such as how strong or stable it is. But because it was so hard to add in the past, it was rarely used on complex drug candidates.
The findings could speed up the development of new medicines by expanding what chemists can realistically build.
Molecules previously considered too difficult to modify at a late stage of development could potentially be adjusted, opening the door to entirely new drug designs. Moreover, many promising drug candidates fail not because they don’t work, but because they are too fragile to be chemically modified. This method allows scientists to adjust those molecules without destroying them, so more candidates can be tested and improved.
In particular, the study could improve antibiotics. Bacteria are constantly evolving resistance, so researchers need new antibiotics or improved versions of old ones. Being able to fine-tune complex antibiotic structures more easily could make it easier to create stronger, more stable drugs.
The research may also support the development of brain-related medicines. The researchers specifically mention compounds that interact with brain signaling systems, such as serotonin pathways. Better control over molecular design could help in designing drugs for conditions such as depression, anxiety, or neurological disorders.
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