DeepMatter launches project with University of Cambridge

The AIM-traded firm described iDMT as an open innovation research centre co-funded by the University of Cambridge, AstraZeneca, Shionogi, and the European Regional Development Fund.

It said it would provide its ‘DigitalGlassware’ platform to iDMT as part of the development of a fully digital workflow in the discovery and development of new molecules, materials, reactions and processes.

The initiative was part of DeepMatter's ongoing programme to be closely involved with key opinion leaders in the major universities' emerging digital chemistry units, and followed on from its collaborations with the universities of Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield and Nottingham.

DeepMatter said iDMT was a new initiative set up to enable the “transformation of chemistry” into the fully-digital domain, including the increased usage of data science, data standardisation, algorithms for discovery and development, automated analytical chemistry, and robotic equipment.

The iDMT would support collaborative research projects with small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs) from across the UK, aiming to develop a technology base to support the emerging digital economy in the third-largest manufacturing sector in the country.

Its DigitalGlassware platform consists of a cloud-based software platform allowing scientists to bring together digitised synthesis protocols, or ‘recipes’, and contextualised time-course sensor streams from a range of analytical instrumentation, in real-time.

The project would be based in the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry within the University of Cambridge, and led by professor of sustainable reaction engineering Alexei Lapkin.

“This is another important step in rolling out our flagship platform DigitalGlassware, with the key opinion leaders in the academic world allowing us to demonstrate publicly its ability to discover new molecules and routes to molecules in a way that would not otherwise be able,” said chief executive officer Mark Warne.

“The expertise we can garner by engaging with these influential institutions will be invaluable in helping us to innovate our platform even further.”

Warne said the company was now establishing DigitalGlassware as “the go-to platform” for capturing and structuring time-course sensor data in the laboratory, to enable improved insights for better productivity and discovery.

“The establishment of iDMT is an exciting development for our industry, aiming to spark a digital transformation in the chemical industries.

“We have a shared focus on data capture and standardisation, data science and robotics and we are looking forward to working within the digital chemistry space at one of the world's leading universities.”

At 1210 BST, shares in DeepMAtter Group were up 4.62% at 1.7p.