Overwatch Research, one of Northern Ireland’s most successful startups, has been bought by a Californian tech company for an undisclosed sum.
New parent company Benchling said the move will help digitalise the development of drugs by replicating biomedical research, doing away with paper notebooks and spreadsheets which are relied upon by many scientists at present.
Overwatch creates software which accelerates so-called in vivo research, collecting data which makes preclinical trials more accurate.
It has grown quickly since being founded in 2017 by Dr Chris Armstrong and brothers Graham and Paul Wilsdon.
The company announced in October that it had raised $3.5 million from a range of investors to help it break into the US market, a move which saw it creatre 18 jobs.
"Our software tackles core challenges contributing to the preclinical reproducibility crisis,” Chris Armstrong, co-founder and CEO of Overwatch, said. “This helps biopharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations (CROs) reduce errors, increase confidence for first-in-human studies, and ultimately get drugs to patients faster.
“By incorporating our in vivo study capabilities into Benchling's industry-leading R&D Cloud, we'll be able to reach more scientists and help them turn initial research findings into life-saving products.”
Sajith Wickramasekara, CEO and co-founder of Benchling, said Overwatch Research had caught the company’s eye.
"Overwatch impressed us with their ability to build the first truly modern product for in vivo studies that is beloved by its customers. Many of our biopharma and CRO customers are looking for a comprehensive offering that brings together Benchling's bioanalytical capabilities with Overwatch's in vivo study management and we look forward to Overwatch addressing that growing demand. Welcoming the Overwatch team to Benchling will also deepen our presence in Europe."
