Accelrys ($ACCL) has beefed up its software offerings for virtual biotech teams. The San Diego-based company has acquired technology and personnel from drug developer Scynexis related to a software-as-a-service product called Hit Explorer Operating System (HEOS), which is already included as part of Accelrys' Cheminformatics Suite. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
As more drug discovery collaborations involve virtual teams, the web-based HEOS software provides groups with project information in the cloud and access to biological assay results, analytics, chemical registration and pharmacokinetics data, according to Accelrys. Provided in an SaaS product, the system also caters to biopharma players that don't want to manage the software on their own servers.
Accelrys has been mindful of the movement in pharma to work with a network of external experts to advance programs. And last month the company signed on as a partner with BT Global Services to provide its R&D software on BT's new cloud service for life sciences R&D groups.
"HEOS supports an important new operating model for collaborating organizations that require secure, flexible information management and collaboration with global reach," Accelrys CEO Max Carnecchia stated. "As many of our customers move to multi-site, multi-collaborator projects to accelerate innovation and reduce costs, we look forward to broadening the applicability and reach of HEOS as a secure, easy-to-use, cloud-based information management workspace for the wider scientific community."
- here's Accelrys' release