NYCO pioneers a new predictive science for a new generation of high-performance lubricants

Designing tomorrow’s lubricants starts before a molecule exists: For the first time, NYCO can predict how a molecule is likely to measure up against tomorrow’s regulatory standards. This scientific breakthrough can now shape the next generation of high-performance solutions with safety built in from the start.

For years, industries worldwide have been rethinking the chemistry behind everyday materials, and aviation is no exception. For NYCO, this is not only about compliance, it has long been a serious commitment. That commitment has recently been reinforced by a fast-evolving regulatory landscape with more frequent reclassifications and higher hazard severity levels.

NYCO is already one step ahead, thanks to years of scientific preparation. In 2024, a first study used a New Approach Method to assess neurotoxicity. It sorted 42 organophosphates into four structural groups and profiled each one. One group stood out as better aligned with the concerns raised by organophosphate use. It was an early signal that molecular in silico design could hold the answer.

A new study, published 17 July 2026, takes this research a decisive step further. It builds on the unique method previously developed by the team and applies it across the same selection of organophosphates, including two commercial blends (TCP1 and tert–butylated phenylphosphate2 based) widely used in the industry & aviation.

This research combines three tools: a 3D classification of molecular shapes, predictive computer modelling, and simulations exploring how these molecules may interact with the body’s hormone receptors and potentially act as endocrine disruptors. It can also predict reprotoxicity and how a molecule is likely to behave, often before it is even synthesized, let alone tested or classified by regulators.

The study goes further still. For the first time, it explains why certain molecular shapes barely interact with hormone receptors at all. Some molecules are simply too bulky, or too rigid, to reach the receptor’s binding site. It is a purely structural explanation, and it turns a statistical pattern into a concrete design principle for future molecules. Each prediction was also checked experimentally (in vitro et in vivo), giving the model a level of validation rarely achieved in this field.

“This predictive method is a genuine step change for our industry! For the first time, we can anticipate how a molecule will measure up against tomorrow’s standards before it even reaches a lab bench,“ said Grégoire HERVÉ, R&D & Technical Director at NYCO.

For NYCO, this is more than a scientific milestone: it is a working method embedded in the way new high-performance lubricants and additives are designed. These predictive models are now built into an internal tool, “Safety-By–Design NYCO^®“, letting the team screen candidate structures computationally from the earliest stages of development, rather than testing molecules one by one.

This innovative approach is already at work: turbine oils, greases and additive-based industrial products are among the first Safety Engineered solutions to benefit from it, including the recently launched TURBONYCOIL^® 940 SE turbine oil.

1) TCP – Tricresyl Phosphate (CAS : 1330-78-5) 

2) Phenol, isobutylenated, phosphate (CAS : 68937-40-6)