University to receive $10M in computer software from BIOSYM

University scientists will use the software for computer-aided molecular modeling and simulation. They also will work with BIOSYM/Molecular Simulations employees to explore ways in which these tools can be used to enhance research and development, technology infrastructure, curriculum design, networking, training and new forms of imaging, including virtual reality.

"These tools will help ensure the University stays at the forefront of technology-based molecular research and instruction," said Joel Mambretti, Director of Academic Computing Services. Mambretti has worked on this initiative with a faculty committee representing the Physical Sciences Division and the Biological Sciences Division, and with Robert Rosenberg, Senior Director of Corporate Relations and Communications for the BSD.

The BIOSYM/Molecular Simulations software will give researchers the tools they need to analyze and work with the data that will come from the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, a facility operated by the University for the Department of Energy, when the APS is fully activated next year. The APS is a $480 million synchrotron that will produce brilliant X-ray beams -- 10,000 times brighter than current sources -- for research in materials science, condensed-matter physics, chemistry, biology and medicine. Researchers will use the APS to determine the basic structures of biological macromolecules and other materials more easily than ever before.

BIOSYM/Molecular Simulations develops Computer-Aided Molecular Science (CAMS) application software that it markets to researchers in academia, industry and government laboratories worldwide. CAMS software combines scientific principles with advanced, computer-based techniques to reduce the time needed to discover new chemical compounds in the materials and life sciences.

The company currently has over 3,500 installations at companies and institutions involved in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food, agrochemical, petroleum, chemical and materials engineering fields. The mission of the company is to expand the application of CAMS through continued development of software products and services that can be used throughout the chemical and biological research and development cycle -- including the research, design, synthesis, isolation, analysis, testing, formulation and process phases. BIOSYM/Molecular Simulations is headquartered in San Diego and has 13 field offices in North America, Europe and Asia.