Published in Probe Volume 4(3-4): August 1994-January 1995
Oxford Molecular Group (OMG), the Oxford, England-based computer-aided molecular design company, has announced its intent to acquire IntelliGenetics, Inc. (Mountain View, CA), one of the world's leading developers of DNA and protein sequence analysis software.
Background on IntelliGenetics
IntelliGenetics was formed to commercialize academic research in bioinformatics and associated database management systems. It is one of the leading developers of DNA and protein sequence analysis software in the world. The company was founded in 1980 by four professors from Stanford University. In May 1986, Amoco bought voting control of IntelliGenetics, and the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Amoco Technology Corporation (ATC) in 1990.
IntelliGenetics' product range presently includes:
New products which will enhance user access to databases and offer new analytical features for IntelliGenetics software are under development.
The agreement will afford Oxford Molecular a significant presence in the United States. The company represents over 50 percent of the world market and is home to the other major market vendors.
Commenting on the acquisition, Dr. Tony Marchington, Chief Executive of Oxford Molecular, said, "This acquisition is a major strategic step for Oxford Molecular. We went public on the London Stock Exchange in part so that we could significantly grow our business in the U.S. as well as enter the Biotechnology arena with a bang. We're aggressively pursuing this vision with this acquisition. What's more, IntelliGenetics will benefit from Oxford Molecular's broadly based strategy to be a major supplier of rational drug design services."
Oxford Molecular -- with offices in Springfield, Virginia; Palo Alto and San Diego, California; Erlangen, Germany and Paris, France -- was the first spin-off company from Isis Innovation, the intellectual property company of the University of Oxford. The company was founded in 1989 to bring molecular science software from the most respected research laboratories into the commercial arena. Following the acquisition in 1993 of its European competitor, BioStructure, it is one of the largest European-based suppliers specializing in computer-aided molecular drug design software. The company went public on the London Stock Exchange in April 1994.
Oxford Molecular has established a number of strategic relationships with pharmaceutical manufacturers, including Glaxo Group Research, British Bio-technology, Hoechst-Roussel Laboratories, Pfizer and SmithKline Beechman.