IBM, Accelrys Team For Drug-Development IT Offering

Compiled ByDeborah Austin IBM, Armonk, N.Y., and life-sciences software developer Accelrys have a four-year global strategic alliance to enhance drug research-and-development (R&D) operations. With IBM contributing technologies in supercomputing and Accelrys in software expertise, they are creating a collaborative information-technology environment for pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies and medical research centers to improve R&D efficiencies and shorten new-drug development cycles. Accelrys will combine IBM DiscoveryLink data integration technology with its new Discovery Studio technology platform designed to support the drug discovery process. Both will jointly market the offerings for IBM platforms and middleware, and provide joint consulting/implementation services. Five key applications initially are available. Accelrys is a subsidiary of Pharmacopeia Inc., Princeton, N.J., an enabler of science and technology for drug discovery and chemical development processes.