Moreover we were able to work out the structure of the impurity and prepare good quantities for further testing. We found that it was significantly more active than the main material,' said Professor Mander. Having produced the first generation of this compound, the scientists undertook an exercise designed to protect their patent, by identifying a dozen variants on the substance that a competitor might try to produce. Although these products proved to be no more effective and therefore commercially uninteresting, an 'intermediate' substance made during the process unexpectedly turned out to be 10 times as active as the original compound. What is important is being able to recognise the possibilities and run with them.
Serendipity is a somewhat debased term, being taken by many to mean a fortuitous discovery.
Reproduced with permission. The work is the result of wide ranging research on gibberellins, hormones which regulate plant growth and development. Professor Mander has been researching gibberellins for many years, and has established collaborations with up to 40 other research groups around the world and in Australia. This compound was very exciting because not only was it more effective at inducing flowering, it actually inhibited growth. So for ornamental flowers, for example, it looked ideal,' said Professor Mander.