XtalPi Announces Strategic Collaboration with Porton to Offer Prediction-Guided Crystallization and Drug Solid-State Research Services

Combining AI Algorithms with Targeted Experiments to Solve Bottleneck Challenges in Drug Development

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Mar 11, 2020, 12:55 ET

SHENZHEN, China, March 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- XtalPi Inc. ("XtalPi"), an algorithm-driven artificial intelligence (AI) pharmaceutical technology company, and Porton Pharma Solutions Ltd. ("Porton"), a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), announces the signing of a strategic collaboration to integrate XtalPi's next-generation computational tools with Porton's experimental expertise to further empower pharmaceutical research in drug design and pre-clinical development. The two companies will initiate in-depth collaboration in drug crystallization and process development services, intelligent drug discovery and development research, and business expansion in biologics and formulation.

Under the agreement, XtalPi and Porton will offer prediction and experimental services that couple XtalPi's pioneering drug solid-state screening and designing solutions, such as crystal structure prediction (CSP), and cocrystal and solid-solvate propensity prediction, with Porton's broad range of experimental offerings. The two companies will leverage computational insights to design more targeted experiments and extensively optimize the crystallization research and drug solid-state development process. This cooperated approach aims to increase the efficiency and success rate of drug pre-clinical research, ensure development timeline and product quality, and support key decision-making in identifying and optimizing the ideal active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) form for clinical trial and mass production.

As a first step in a series of projects, XtalPi and J-STAR RESEARCH Inc., Porton's New Jersey-based subsidiary and an innovative contracted research organization, also signed a sub-agreement to launch prediction-guided crystallization and solid-state research services for their U.S. customers. In addition, the two companies will combine XtalPi's AI and molecular mechanics algorithms and J-Star's experimental data to develop new prediction models and research methods for important unmet challenges in drug crystallization related fields.

"In the past two years, we saw an increasing number of pharmaceutical companies adopt CSP into their standard research process, especially when dealing with complex compounds and challenging molecular systems," said Dr. Jian Ma, co-founder and CEO of XtalPi. "XtalPi and Porton are two companies in closely related fields with complementing skillsets. We are excited to work with Porton to combine machine learning algorithms with high-quality experimental data to develop new prediction models that can improve upon existing research methods and address the bottleneck challenges in the industry."

"Porton also attaches great importance to the development and application of cutting-edge technologies," commented Oliver Ju, Chairman and CEO of Porton. "We believe that this strategic collaboration will combine cutting-edge scientific advances with the best practices in crystallization and formulation development to create a new benchmark for the industry in drug design and solid-state research. We also look forward to closer cooperation between us in drug development and manufacturing to jointly explore innovative technology solutions."

Due to the current epidemic, XtalPi and Porton decided to host a "cloud signing ceremony" across five sites in two countries instead of a traditional meeting. Porton's Chongqing and Suzhou offices, XtalPi's Shenzhen computational center, and XtalPi AI Research Center (XARC) in Beijing have dialed in for the online signing proceedings, while representatives from both companies in the United States met at J-Star's office in Cranbury, New Jersey, to ink their sub-agreement in person.

About XtalPi
XtalPi is a pharmaceutical technology company that is reinventing the industry's approach to drug research and development with its Intelligent Digital Drug Discovery and Development (ID4) platform. With tightly interwoven quantum physics, AI, and high-performance cloud computing algorithms, XtalPi's ID4 platform provides accurate predictions on the physicochemical and pharmaceutical properties of small-molecule candidates for drug design, solid-form selection, and other critical aspects of drug development. XtalPi is dedicated to improving the efficiency, accuracy, and success rate of drug research and development, and contributing to a healthier society worldwide.

Founded in 2014 by a group of quantum physicists at MIT, XtalPi has since built an elite team with multi-disciplinary expertise in physics, chemistry, pharmaceutical R&D, and algorithm design. XtalPi's cutting-edge technologies, innovative solutions, and diverse applications across the pharmaceutical value chain have helped it gaining industry approval and establish strategic partnerships with top international pharmaceutical companies.

About Porton
Founded in July 2005, Porton Pharma Solution Ltd. is a Chinese top-tier contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) which provides one-stop CDMO services for both chemical drugs from APIs to formulation and biological drugs for global pharmaceutical companies and biotechs. It is committed to building the world's leading pharma solutions platform, enabling the transformation from molecules to medicines with continuous improvements in speed and cost. Backed by more than 2,000 customer-centric employees, cutting-edge Process R&D Centers, USFDA, PMDA, EMA and NMPA-inspected cGMP production sites in China (Chongqing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Jiangxi and Suzhou) and sales offices located across Asia, North America and Europe, Porton has an outstanding tracking record for more than 1000 projects delivered to around 400 global customers.

About J-Star
J-STAR Research, Inc. (hereafter referred to as J-Star) is an innovative CRO serving as an outsourcing partner for the pharma and bio industries. Founded in 1996 by Dr. Andrew Thompson, formerly of Merck Research Laboratories, J-Star has become a leading provider of services in complex organic synthesis and crystallization for a variety of pharmaceutical clients globally. Through 20 some years of services, J-Star has accumulated excellent reputation as a trustworthy partner in North America. In 2017, Porton USA, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Porton Pharma Solutions Ltd. acquired J-Star. After more than two years of integration, J-Star has developed into a multi-disciplinary team of more than 100 employees (including 67 doctoral scientists) with profound experiences in small molecule drug process research and crystallization R&D. It has gathered many top talents each with over 10-30 years of R&D tenures in world leading pharma companies. Integrating CDMO services from Porton, J-Star can provide scientifically rigor and practically effective one-stop solutions for its global pharmaceutical clients.

Media Contact
Ruyu Wang
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SOURCE XtalPi Inc.