Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Translating virtually designed drug molecules into executable synthesis protocols is essential for connecting computational discovery with automated synthesis. However, most retrosynthesis methods focus on precursor generation, offer limited route diversity, and lack the detailed reaction conditions required for executable protocols. Here, we present Syn-RRAG, a retrieval-augmented LLM-driven synthesis agent connecting virtual screening with automated synthesis and validation. Syn-RRAG integrates initial retrosynthetic prediction, reaction-precedent retrieval and hierarchical refinement to generate structured protocols with complete experimental parameters. Its local generative model searches over complete reaction hypotheses rather than relying solely on token-level beam search, enabling exploration of feasible routes with distinct reaction classes and bond disconnections. It achieved strong retrosynthesis performance on two patent-derived reaction datasets. Syn-RRAG further generated executable plans for three virtually screened drug candidates, all of which were synthesized and validated on an automated platform. These results establish a workflow connecting virtual molecular design, synthesis planning and experimental validation.
Source: ChemRxiv
Institution: Fudan University
Language: English
Subfield: Drug Discovery
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G3022729443, G5981610864
OpenAlex ID: W7211900291