Symyx Technologies is to acquire certain MDL Information Systems software products from Elsevier for $123m in a cash transaction. The move will expand its portfolio of R&D informatics offerings and increase its market presence by bringing it into contact with more customers.
'We can now incorporate MDL's cheminformatics products into the Symyx product lines to give more complete offerings,' David Dorsett, senior vice president of product strategies, told scientific-computing.com.
In particular, the move means that MDL's MDL Draw, MDL Direct, Available Chemicals Directory (ACD) and DiscoveryGate products can be integrated with Symyx's ELNs. These products will allow users to combine content, collaborative desktops, laboratory automation and information management systems, and enterprise software in a single life sciences platform.
Symyx's customers will also benefit from full access to the key MDL scientific databases retained by Elsevier, including the CrossFire Beilstein, Pharmapendium and Patent Chemistry Databases. These databases will now be integrated into Elsevier’s science and technology operations.
Symyx and Elsevier will continue to have a strong working relationship. For the moment, they will be concentrating on ensuring that the acquisition will have no negative impact on the user’s experience, with all Elsevier and MDL products maintaining their existing compatibility.
