Overview

Cayman Contract Services provides discovery and pre-clinical development services to the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic research markets. Our diverse suite of services leverages a team of over 150 highly skilled scientists with expertise in medicinal chemistry, structure-based drug design, complex multi-step organic synthesis, analytical chemistry, sample analysis, and custom assay development. We offer a personalized, flexible approach that enables our clients to accelerate their drug discovery and development through a single-source partner, from novel drug design and synthesis to target identification and validation.

Our Contract Services division provides expertise in:

• Bioanalysis & Assay Development
• Medicinal Chemistry & Structure-Based Drug Design
• Analytical Chemistry
• Chemical Synthesis

Why Cayman?

• Maintain complete control of your study with phase-based, flexible project design.
• Consult with our cross-functional team of scientists with expertise in diverse research areas and technical skill sets.
• Access our state-of-the-art laboratories with dedicated resources to support your project needs.

Testimonials

Bioanalysis & Assay Development

Cayman’s Bioanalytical Division offers a wide range of services to accelerate discovery and pre-clinical development initiatives. Our scientific staff has decades of industry expertise in assay and methods development, sample preparation, and analysis. We consult with you from project kickoff to conclusion on experimental design and data analysis to ensure you meet your objectives. Select from our catalog of well-characterized assays, qualified commercially available assays, or let our experts design a custom assay that suits your specific requirements. Our team regularly develops plate-based, mass spectrometry-based, cell-based, and flow cytometry assays.

• Sample Analysis

  • Biomarker profiling

  • Activity screening

  • Lipidomic profiling

    • Poster: Lipidomics in Cells, Plasma, and Tissues (PDF)

  • Immunopeptidome profiling

    • Poster: Mass Spectrometry as a Tool for MHC Class I and II Neoantigen Discovery (PDF)

    • Application Note: Characterization of Peptides Associated with Molecules of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (PDF)

  • Proteomic profiling and PTM analysis

  • Mitochondrial/bioenergetics profiling

• Custom Assay Development

  • Immunoassays

  • Mass spectrometry-based assays

    • Application Note: Use of a Novel Method of Derivatization to Improve LC-MS/MS Sensitivity of 1,3-Dienes (PDF)

  • Enzyme activity assays

  • Cell-based assays

  • Reporter assays

    • Application Note: Tracking the Induction of Five Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) Enzymes using a Platform of Parallel Reporter Assays (PDF)

    • Technical Brief: User-Friendly, No-Maintenance Reporter Assays - The Technology and Utility of Reverse Transfection (PDF)

Medicinal Chemistry & Structure-Based Drug Design

The Medicinal Chemistry and Structural Biology groups at Cayman have successfully delivered on a wide range of external drug development programs and driven independent and collaborative external and internal programs. This service offers a fully integrated multidisciplinary approach from design and synthesis to screening and optimization. Scale-up and process/GMP development are also offered. Whether it’s lead generation or optimization, route and methods development, screening, or scale-up, Cayman’s experienced medicinal and organic chemists, structural biologists, and biochemists possess the competencies to augment your pre-clinical drug discovery and development needs.

• Drug Design, SAR, & Process Scaling

  • In silico drug design and selectivity assessment

    • Poster: A Novel Series of Selective Agonists Evaluated Against Rattus Norvegicus EP₄ Receptor (PDF)

    • Application Note (with expanded results section): A Novel Series of Selective Agonists Evaluated Against Rattus Norvegicus EP₄ Receptor (PDF)

  • Parallel library generation

  • Structure-activity relationship studies

  • Lead optimization and development

  • Route development and scale-up

  • Pre-GMP process development

• Structural Biology

  • Recombinant protein production and characterization

  • Biophysical characterization and optimization

  • Protein crystallization

  • Structure determination by X-ray crystallography

    • Case Study: Designing Small Molecule Inhibitors for Autotaxin (PDF)

  • In silico docking and homology modeling

Analytical Chemistry

Our scientists perform routine quality control testing on thousands of compounds each year, giving Cayman unparalleled expertise in the development and validation of methods to analyze, quantify, and purify small molecules. Employing multiple chemical testing methods customized to each project’s unique requirements, we perform qualitative and quantitative analysis, purification, and characterization of chemical entities such as bioactive lipids, natural products, synthetic compounds, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and drugs of abuse in organic and biological matrices.

• Purification and characterization

  • Preparative HPLC

  • Analytical HPLC

  • Mass spectrometry (LC-MS, GC-MS)

    • Application Note: Immunoaffinity Mass Spectrometry for Leukotriene Analysis in Brain (PDF)

    • Poster: Development of a chiral LC-MS/MS approach for measuring metabolites of the synthetic cannabinoids JWH-018 and AM2201 (PDF)

  • NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁹F, 2D)

  • Karl Fischer testing

• Sample Analysis

  • Solubility

  • Metabolism

  • Rate of release

  • Pharmacokinetics testing

• De-formulation Testing

  • Active ingredient determination

  • Impurity limit testing

  • Homogeneity and stability testing

Chemical Synthesis

Our team of synthetic organic and medicinal chemists brings decades of academic and pharmaceutical experience to perform complex, multi-step organic syntheses. Supported by our Medicinal Chemistry & Structure-Based Drug Design and GMP & Process Development Services, our growing team of more than 70 highly skilled organic chemists has added broad synthetic proficiencies to our traditional core expertise in lipid, bioconjugate, and stable isotope labeling chemistry. We are ready to take on your next challenging project!

Chemistry We Specialize In:

Synthesis, purification, and characterization of:

• Classic and Emerging Drugs of Abuse including PEDs, LSD, Amphetamines, Benzodiazepines, Synthetic Cannabinoids, Opioids, and more

• PUFAs, Eicosanoids, Glycerides, and Polar Lipids

• Small Molecule, Drug-like Heterocyclic Compounds

• Stable Isotope-labeled Target Standards

Custom Synthesis Services We Offer:

• Small Molecule Analog Synthesis/SAR, Parallel Medicinal Chemistry, and Compound Library Generation

  • Hit-to-Lead: Iterative Design, Synthesis, and Screening

  • Lead Optimization and Scale-up

• Specialized Syntheses

  • Bioconjugation

  • Fluorescent Dye Design, Development, and Synthesis

  • Selective, Stable Isotopic Labeling

  • Natural Product Chemistry: Extraction from Biological Sources and Total Synthesis

• GMP & Process Development

  • Chemical Route Exploration, Development, and Optimization

  • Preclinical/Clinical API Synthesis and Method Validation

  • Commercial GMP-API Manufacturing

• Development of Analytical Grade Standards

  • Analytical Standards

  • Reference Materials

  • Certified Reference Materials