This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the development of Metal-Organic Framework (MOF), a porous crystalline material constructed from organic compounds and metal ions.

While the award ceremony emphasized applications such as gas and harmful molecule adsorption, we at TEKMOF are developing a different application: molecular structure determination technology using MOF.

Molecular structure determination is a critical challenge in science and technology. 

- More than 90% of small and medium-sized molecules of biological origin, including those derived from humans, have not yet been identified. This represents a major bottleneck in the discovery of drug seed compounds and novel biomarkers. The beneficial nutrients contained in the tomato you ate for breakfast may very well be unknown substances whose structures have not even been elucidated yet. Natural fragrances contain countless unknown components that are the sources of wonderful aromas.

- In pharmaceutical research and development, determining and managing the structures of drug metabolites and manufacturing impurities is critical work that affects human life.

-Is the molecule you designed and synthesized truly what you designed?

Small and medium-sized molecules are among the most fundamental groups of substances that constitute our world, yet we currently understand very little about the chemical structure of these molecules. In the biological context, in this modern era where comprehensive identification of DNA, RNA, and proteins is becoming possible, the identification of small and medium-sized biological molecules called metabolites carries a significant lag.

X-ray crystallography is the most accurate and "simple (under certain conditions)" method for structure determination. "As long as" you can crystallize the target molecule, you can accurately determine its structure by analyzing X-ray diffraction signals. However, crystallization is the greatest bottleneck, requiring extensive trial and error.

MOF solves this problem, enabling "crystallography without crystallization." When target molecules are incorporated into MOF's regularly arranged pores, they align uniformly, creating a pseudo-crystallized state. This method, called the crystal sponge method, was developed by Prof. Makoto Fujita and our co-founder Prof. Masanori Kawano (as an aside, if this method truly becomes widespread, a Nobel Prize in Chemistry is certain).

Our ultimate goal is to determine the structures of all small and medium-sized molecular compounds worldwide using our uniquely developed MOF, systematizing structural information to accelerate scientific advancement. Combining our technology with metabolomics will yield significant breakthroughs.

Once again, we deeply thank the award recipients who created this opportunity for our great challenge.