Wolfe Laboratories Inc. Launches Xtal BioStructures, Inc.
WATERTOWN, Mass., June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolfe Laboratories, a provider of drug development and research services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, announced today that it has formed a subsidiary, Xtal BioStructures, Inc. (Xtal), to provide structural biology services. The first company of its kind on the East Coast, Xtal enables pharmaceutical and biotech companies to outsource their structure-guided drug design processes, with Xtal acting as the companies' virtual structural biology department, resulting in significant cost savings and faster time to market.
Structure-guided drug design is a proven approach used to develop a number of approved drugs, like HIV protease inhibitors, and is based on utilizing structural biology to understand the molecular development of a disease in order to speed the discovery of viable drug candidates. However, developing and maintaining in-house capabilities to support structure-guided design requires significant capital investment, resulting in an undertaking that is often too costly and time-intensive for biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
With the launch of Xtal, companies can take advantage of structure-based design processes to add value to every stage of the product development lifecycle, from early-stage drug discovery to product validation. In addition to enabling a company to outsource all structure-based design processes, Xtal can augment an organizations' existing structural biology department, reducing bottlenecks and improving overall drug development time.
The new company will be headed by Robert K. Suto, Ph.D., who has extensive knowledge of structure-based drug discovery through his role as senior scientist with Pintex Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on the development of structure-based cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. Prior to his work with Pintex, Dr. Suto was a postdoctoral associate under the direction of Professor Karolin Luger at Colorado State University, one of only a handful of scientists to be named as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.
"By partnering with Xtal, companies can instantly add value to their drug development programs, while retaining all intellectual property for the project," said Robert Suto, Xtal's president and chief scientific officer. "There is strong market demand for high quality structural biology services, and Xtal is filling a void by making the technology more accessible and cost- effective for pharmaceutical and biotech companies."
"Wolfe Laboratories, Inc. is delighted to have the opportunity to launch a company that is poised to become the leading structural biology services organization in the Northeast," said Dr. Janet Wolfe, Xtal's Chairman. "Xtal has significant revenue opportunities and has already attracted a rich pipeline of partners."
About Xtal BioStructures, Inc.
Xtal BioStructures, Inc. is a subsidiary of Wolfe Laboratories Inc., a contract research organization that provides pre-clinical development services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Together, Xtal BioStructures, Inc. and Wolfe Laboratories, Inc. provide clients with efficient, cost-effective drug discovery and development services. Xtal BioStructures, Inc. is based in Watertown, MA and may be found on the Web at http://www.xtalbiostructures.com.
About Wolfe Laboratories
Founded in 1999, Wolfe Laboratories specializes in pharmaceutical research and product development services. More information can be found at http://www.wolfelabs.com. Xtal Press Contacts: David Myers Abby Dougherty Xtal BioStructures, Inc. SparkSource, Inc. (617) 923-7600 x300 (781) 274-6061 x227 david.myers@xtalbiostructures.com adougherty@sparksource.com
Wolfe LaboratoriesCONTACT: David Myers of Xtal BioStructures, Inc., +1-617-923-7600 ext.300, david.myers@xtalbiostructures.com; or Abby Dougherty of SparkSource,Inc., +1-781-274-6061 ext. 227, adougherty@sparksource.com