Iceland-based deCODE genetics announced this week that AstraZeneca has entered into an agreement to purchase its RoboHTC automated protein crystallography platform, earmarked for AstraZeneca's drug discovery sites in Alderley Park, UK and Molndal, Sweden.
At the heart of the RoboHTC system are the Matrix Maker, a robotic liquid handler, the Microscope Workstation that automatically captures colour digital images of the crystals in each well and the Crystal Monitor software which links and drives the hardware.
"This agreement underscores the value being created by our biostructures group, both within our own drug discovery programmes and through a growing range of corporate partnerships," said Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE.
According to the Icelandic company RoboHTC "accelerates and enhances the drug development process by enabling high-throughput generation, storage, and analysis of the crystals of target proteins and protein-ligand complexes".
"The agreement is one of a series of new investments that will ensure efficient delivery of structural information at an early and influential stage into drug discovery projects," added John Stageman, vice president for Enabling Science & Technology at AstraZeneca.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.