IBM and Accelrys, Inc are working on the release of a full suite of modeling and simulation tools for the Linux operating system.

By porting, testing, and certifying the products on IBM systems, Accelrys will give researchers more flexibility for computer-intensive calculations and the stability, speed, and graphic capabilities of stand-alone Linux workstations.

Accelrys plans to launch Cerius2 and QUANTA, two leading software tools for powerful 2D and 3D modeling, on Red Hat Linux. Once these two tools are released, a complete range of modeling and simulation products will be available on Linux. This follows the October 2003, launch of Insight II, a sophisticated molecular modeling environment, and Catalyst, Accelrys' foremost 3D database management tool.

"Pharmaceutical companies are eager to have access to Accelrys' software on Linux due to the flexibility and increased capabilities Linux workstations provide," said Jamie Coffin, worldwide vice president, IBM Life Sciences Solutions. "We are working with Accelrys to help them test and certify their modeling and simulation software suite and make it easier for researchers to work with potential drug targets in silico."

Accelrys' president and CEO Mark Emkjer commented, "We are committed to providing researchers with the most advanced drug discovery and development applications on the platforms that best suit their interests and budgets. By working with IBM, we can provide great science from an easy-to-use desktop environment that interacts with databases throughout the corporate IT infrastructure."

About Cerius2

Cerius2 is a leading modeling and simulation software environment designed to facilitate the chemical computing needs of R&D organizations. Cerius2 brings science validated by leading laboratories around the world, ranging from statistical analysis to life science modeling and simulations, including structure-based design, QSAR, and library design & analysis.

About QUANTA

QUANTA is a complete life science molecular modeling environment for protein crystallographers and expert structural biologists that automates and accelerates crystal structure determination. It provides advanced tools for 3D structure characterization, analysis, and structure modeling.