Schrodinger USA, Sai Life Sciences open research facility in Hyderabad

US-based Schrodinger Inc on Thursday announced the opening of a dedicated research facility in Hyderabad in collaboration with Sai Life Sciences

Hyderabad: US-based Schrodinger Inc on Thursday announced the opening of a dedicated research facility in Hyderabad in collaboration with Sai Life Sciences.

The joint venture, Sai Schrodinger Research Laboratories (SSRL), was formally inaugurated at the firm’s R&D campus here by Dr Karen Akinsanya, President of R&D, Therapeutics at Schrodinger Inc., in the presence of members of the leadership team of Schrodinger and Sai Life Sciences.

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“We selected Sai Life Sciences as our CRO late last year, and we are extremely pleased that they are now poised to begin work on our programs with a highly experienced and dedicated team at a state-of-the-art facility. Sai Life Sciences will play an important role in advancing our drug discovery and early development activities, and we look forward to working closely together,” Akinsanya said.

In January 2023, Sai Life Sciences entered into a 5-year strategic agreement with Schrodinger, whose physics-based computational platform is transforming the way therapeutics and materials are discovered, to set up SSRL in Hyderabad, India. Soon after, Sai Life Sciences commenced the build-up of the facility along with recruitment of scientific staff, to drive the project to completion in an accelerated time frame, according to a press release.

Krishna Kanumuri, CEO & Managing Director, Sai Life Sciences, said the collaboration with Schrodinger marked an exciting new start for Sai Life Sciences, with a dedicated facility to support multiple discovery programs.

Dr Karen Akinsanya and Krishna Kanumuri also met IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao and discussed the nature of the collaboration and the role that Sai Schrodinger Research Laboratories (SSRL) would play in advancing drug discovery and development.

“Delighted to welcome Schrödinger, USA to Hyderabad and extend my congratulations on its dedicated research facility (1st in the world) in partnership with @SaiLifeSciences. This further reaffirms Telangana’s position as the knowledge capital of the world”: @KTRBRS pic.twitter.com/c0rmL0YgyE

— Minister for IT, Industries, MA & UD, Telangana (@MinisterKTR) April 20, 2023

Set up inside Sai Life Sciences’ R&D campus in Genome Valley, SSRL is a dedicated facility for integrated discovery work streams including medicinal & synthetic chemistry, in vitro biology, and process chemistry. SSRL will access other Sai capabilities such as in vitro ADME and in vivo PK as needed. The relationship will support advancement of programs that leverage Schrodinger’s validated computational platform.

Currently, SSRL has 75 employees across full-time-equivalents (FTEs) in Medicinal Chemistry, Biology, Process Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry, according to the release.