Microsoft adds gene software to medical research package
Microsoft has bought out part of a company which specializes in managing genetic data. It’s part of efforts to boost take-up of Amalga, Microsoft’s specialist software for medical research.
The deal has two components. Microsoft will pay an unspecified fee to take control of Rosetta Bioware, part of pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. Merck will then license Amalga for its research work.
Rosetta (which takes its name from the Rosetta Stone, an ancient Egyptian stone which contains both hieroglyphics and Egyptian and Greek translations, and proved the key to deciphering hieroglyphics) produces several pieces of software which are used to study both genes and proteins. It isn’t a key part of Merck’s core business area, so it makes sense that it would sell it if the right deal came along.
Microsoft will incorporate the Rosetta software into its Amalga Life Sciences package. This is a tool designed to make it easier for researchers to bring together data from different systems and reveal previously unseen connections and patterns. In some cases, it can bridge the gap between two different projects and find that a cause in one is responsible for an effect in the other.
Peter Neupert of Microsoft said, “The newly combined offering will enable customers to improve the management and analysis of genomic, biological and research data, helping to bring lifesaving drugs and therapies to market faster and accelerate the realization of personalized medicine.”
Microsoft says it plans to hire those Rosetta staff who can play “critical roles” in transferring Rosetta’s software into the Amalga system. There’s no official word on what happens to staff who don’t fall into that category. It’s notable that Microsoft is specifically buying key assets of Rosetta rather than outright buying the company.
The deal should be closed by the end of this month, with the Rosetta tools appearing in Amalga early next year.
Related Posts:
