Shantel
Key Takeaways
- Sygnature Discovery boosts its global growth by acquiring NuChem Sciences, a leading North American Contract Research Organisation (CRO).
- The acquisition solidifies Sygnature’s position as one of the world’s largest players in integrated drug discovery phase solutions.
- Following this acquisition, Sygnature Discovery will have over 1,000 staff across 53 nationalities, contributing to both standalone and integrated drug discovery programmes.
About Sygnature Discovery
UK-based Sygnature Discovery, a world-leading integrated drug discovery Contract Research Organisation, has since its inception in 2004, been committed to improving global health. With a strong and diverse team of over 1,000 staff, including 900 scientists, Sygnature partners with global pharma, biotech, and NFP organisations, delivering novel pre-clinical and clinical compounds.
Sygnature Acquires NuChem: A Significant Competitive Advantage
On August 1, 2023, Sygnature Discovery announced its strategic acquisition of NuChem Sciences, one of North America’s largest discovery CROs, based in Canada. This landmark acquisition enhances Sygnature’s global footprint, enabling it to leverage discovery expertise in the North American market and realise its vision of becoming the global market leader.
The partnership between Sygnature Discovery and NuChem Sciences will yield a global force in drug discovery, providing comprehensive support from target validation to candidate selection.
Dr Simon Hirst, CEO at Sygnature Discovery, commented on the acquisition: “This acquisition represents a pivotal milestone in the Sygnature growth plan, allowing us to deliver better discovery solutions to customers around the world. The addition of NuChem Sciences greatly enhances Sygnature Discovery’s offering, making us a highly differentiated and integrated drug discovery partner with unrivalled scale and range.”
Unveiling NuChem Sciences
NuChem Sciences, founded in 2011, stands as a leading discovery CRO in the North American market. Employing over 300 staff across centres of excellence in Montreal and Quebec City, Canada, NuChem delivers expert integrated and standalone discovery solutions across a broad spectrum of services, from medicinal chemistry to computational chemistry, in-vitro biology, and in-vivo pharmacology. The company will continue to operate in Canada, driving further market expansion across North America.
Marc Lebel, Pharm. D., President and Chairman at NuChem Sciences, shared his enthusiasm about the partnership: “Our company goals and values fit perfectly with those of Sygnature in becoming a global leader in drug discovery services. We are delighted to become an integral part of the Sygnature Group, allowing us to leverage our deep scientific expertise and presence across North America and Europe, to the benefit of customers and employees.”
Sygnature’s Progressive Expansion Strategy
The acquisition of NuChem Sciences marks the third in a series of acquisitions over the last sixteen months as part of Sygnature’s global expansion strategy, following the investment by Five Arrows in the summer of 2021. Previous acquisitions include Peak Proteins in April 2022 and SB Drug Discovery in January 2023.
With this acquisition, Sygnature Discovery expands its workforce to over 1,000 employees across 53 nationalities, showcasing the company’s dedication to diversity. The bolstered team will continue to work on standalone and integrated drug discovery programmes, contributing to the company’s successful track record of delivering over 40 novel drug candidates into pre-clinical development and 22 into clinical trials.
Looking Forward: A Global Force in Drug Discovery
With the acquisition of NuChem Sciences, Sygnature Discovery strengthens its position in the global drug discovery landscape. By integrating the best of North American and UK operations, the newly formed partnership is primed to deliver superior discovery solutions to customers around the world. This development reinforces Sygnature’s commitment to improving global health and validates its ambitious growth plan. As Sygnature continues to build its global footprint, the pharmaceutical industry watches with keen interest, anticipating the novel drug candidates this partnership will produce.
