Royston, UK (25 March 2010) – Leading chemistry product innovator, Syrris has recently announced the release of Medstere; innovative software designed specifically for medicinal chemists that suggests novel bioisosteres for a lead compound. Medstere, developed in collaboration with Cresset Group, shortens lead optimisation cycles by generating hundreds of non-obvious, drug-like alternatives to a known lead.
Medstere uses the 3D surface and electrostatic properties of molecules (Fields) to assess the similarity of structurally diverse alternatives to the lead compound. This allows novel and unexpected structural scaffolds to be generated which have similar biological activities and properties whilst avoiding conflicts with existing IP. Medstere scores the similarity of whole molecules, increasing the diversity of the results and overcoming the intrinsic pitfalls of scoring fragments only.
The easy-to-use interface quickly creates a range of potential lead molecules from initial 2D or 3D lead structures, and its smart chemistry rules ensure that results are readily synthesisable. Medstere’s comprehensive database of fragments, built from commercially available compounds, and the ability to add corporate collections, generates significant structural diversity. Results are ranked and similar replacement fragments may be clustered together to allow rapid browsing. Precise analysis of the similarity of a lead to a suggested bioisostere is possible by viewing the detailed Fields and structures side-by-side.
For more information about the Medstere software, or to see the product for yourself, please visit www.syrris.com or contact us at info@syrris.com.
Syrris Limited
Established in 2001, Syrris Limited is one of the fastest growing science SMEs in the UK employing over 30 scientists and engineers at its facility in Royston (near Cambridge). Founders Mark Gilligan and Richard Gray come from a background of developing automation products for chemists at companies such as The Technology Partnership (TTP) and Mettler Toledo.
Syrris develops laboratory automation products for chemists such as the Atlas automated chemistry systems. Atlas can be configured into a wide range of different systems including Lithium and Sodium for round bottom flasks (magnetically and overhead stirred respectively) and Potassium for jacketed vessels. Other Atlas systems, designed for specific applications, including calorimetry, volumetric dosing, gravimetric dosing, pH, etc, are also available.
Syrris also specialise in flow reactors for R&D chemists, including FRX: a low cost flow chemistry system and Africa (Automated Flow Reaction Incubation and Control Apparatus): a modular system for library synthesis, aqueous work-up and reaction optimization that will ultimately reduce the time taken to develop, synthesize, screen and review a chemical entity, thus vastly speeding up the drug discovery process.
In recognition of its technological achievements, Syrris has been awarded a prestigious UK DTI SMART Exceptional Grant. Syrris has also won a significant DTi MNT (Micro and Nano Technology) award which has been used to establish a new subsidiary called The Dolomite Centre Ltd. This company is focused on design and fabrication of Microfluidic devices for a wide range of applications.
About Cresset Group
Cresset Group develops software for calculating and comparing the molecular Field characteristics of molecules. Field technology provides a ‘protein’s view’ of a ligand, providing a smarter, structure independent way of hit-finding, lead switching and lead optimization in drug discovery and other chemistry-based research projects. Cresset’s current products include FieldStere for finding structurally diverse bioisosteres, FieldTemplater™ for finding the bioactive Field template, FieldScreen™ for virtual screening, and FieldAlign™ for aligning molecules to a Field template. The company also provides collaborative discovery services to industry.
More information about Cresset can be found at www.cresset-group.com
