Cambridge, Mass.– XtalPi, a technology-driven R&D platform specializing in life sciences and new materials, has acquired Liverpool ChiroChem (LCC), a UK-based leader in automated chiral chemistry. The acquisition marks a major strategic expansion for XtalPi, enhancing its capacity to explore and develop novel chemical compounds through the fusion of artificial intelligence, quantum physics, and robotics.
Founded in 2014 at the University of Liverpool, LCC has emerged as a global force in the design and high-throughput synthesis of chiral molecules, serving top pharmaceutical and biotech firms across North America, Europe, and Asia. Its proprietary PACE (Parallel Automated Chiral Engine) platform integrates AI with automation to produce vast libraries of structurally diverse and stereodefined compounds, including a billion-scale virtual chiral molecule collection.
XtalPi’s platform focuses on predictive chemistry and high-throughput compound generation, combining computational modeling with automated synthesis. With the addition of LCC’s chiral synthesis technology, XtalPi aims to expand its reach into previously unexplored chemical space, accelerating drug discovery and development for pharmaceuticals, materials science, agriculture, and specialty chemicals.
“By integrating LCC’s world-class chiral chemistry expertise into our AI platform, we are advancing toward an end-to-end solution that redefines how scientists explore and harvest the vast, previously inaccessible chemical space at scale,” said Xuekun Shi, Chief Operating Officer of XtalPi. “This partnership enhances the precision and efficiency of our autonomous synthesis capabilities, helping our partners move from prediction to production faster and with fewer iterations.”
The combined company now boasts a global operational presence, with labs, AI infrastructure, and automated systems in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. This international footprint enables secure and compliant project execution tailored to regional regulatory requirements and client-specific data privacy standards.
LCC CEO Paul Colbon will remain in his role, overseeing the integration and ongoing collaboration between the two companies. “This merger creates what could become the world’s most powerful data engine for chemical space exploration,” Colbon said. “With our complementary technologies and shared vision, we’re poised to set new standards in how scientific innovation is achieved.”
The acquisition reflects XtalPi’s broader strategy of building a globally integrated platform that unites cutting-edge computational tools with intelligent lab automation, aiming to transform the pace and scope of chemical and pharmaceutical R&D.
