CLEVELAND--NetGenics Inc. has completed $6.5 million in financing for Synergy, the company's initial bioinformatics software product. A cross-platform, Java- and CORBA-based client-server software and services system designed for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, Synergy has an architecture that is said to mirror the organization of multidisciplinary drug discovery teams and enable team members to collaborate and communicate research information efficiently.
Investors include Oxford Bioscience Partners, Venrock Associates, Incyte Pharmaceuti cals, Edgewater Private Equity Fund II, John Pappajohn, Crystal Internet Venture Fund, and Casdin Life Sciences Partners.
Synergy is designed to be more flexible and cheaper to maintain than traditional client-server software, according to NetGenics. The framework is a single software program that provides access to various data and software analysis tools in a common format. Synergy also addresses data security problems by running inside the user's firewall, controlling access to data by project team, and permanently archiving all data. Additional services available from NetGenics will include customization to facilitate access to legacy software and databases, training, and a help desk.