How will you look back on this year? For me 2024 has been a year of significant milestones, both for Cresset, and personally. This year has seen our solutions become widely accepted in both biotech’s and large pharma customers as a valuable way to reduce DMTA cycle times and take bigger and more innovative strides through their drug discovery projects. In parallel to this we consistently receive positive feedback from all of our customers regarding their valuable interactions with Cresset’s people – their commitment to your success is unfailing and I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of them for their hard work this and every other year.
Cresset has always invested in new science, and this year is no different. Projects for us come in many forms, from small investigations to muti-person, multi-year efforts such as a new XED force field. These projects have spawned multiple papers that are either in review or in late-stage preparation and I look forward to hearing the debate these generate in the wider community.
Alongside our existing science projects and to complement our existing ML capabilities, 2024 has seen us invest in Gen-AI technologies using large language models to enhance and extend the user experience in our software. We have developed alpha versions of a range of chatbots, designed to assist with queries and automate code writing, simplifying your drug design tasks. I believe they will transform how we all operate and interact with software and enable the creation and re-use of complex computational chemistry workflows. We have also been looking at generative chemistry applications, using our unique electrostatic and shape method to score the output. The results have been excellent, and we will be adding this capability to the software in 2025.
This year we achieved another milestone as we incorporated our Spark™ technology into the main Flare™ application. This has enabled our customers to benefit from workflows that span the two applications – such as combining Spark, ML and Flare FEP to generate novel, active molecules with high efficiency. Alongside Flare, our Torx™ DMTA solution has grown at an amazing rate thanks to its unique ability to save time and money whilst accelerating the cycle from design to data. Releases this year have focused on extending the molecule design and analysis capabilities and providing enhanced visualization when tracking molecules through synthesis.
On a more personal level, 2024 saw Rob Scoffin move to a more strategic role as President after 14 highly successful years as CEO. I want to thank him for all he has done, and I look forward to continuing our close working relationship. This year has also seen David Bardsley retire from Cresset after delivering 12 years of sustained growth; again, my sincere thanks to him for his tireless efforts that have significantly contributed to our success. I am delighted that Phil Hastings has joined us as Chief Commercial Officer to carry on David’s excellent work.
As I look forward to 2025, I do so with great excitement. New releases of Flare and Torx promise major enhancements in capabilities, and our Discovery scientists are helping more clients than ever on their digital transformation journeys. Cutting edge science, such as the new version of our XED force field, and our new AI based solutions will significantly enhance our capabilities and the productivity of our users. Most importantly, I am looking forward to meeting as many of our rapidly expanding community of customers as possible. For those of you who are already Cresset users, I thank you for your support. If you are yet to invest then I look forward to discussing your current challenges with you and exploring how we can help.
Lastly, however you are intending to spend the holiday season, I wish you a peaceful and relaxing time.
All the very best,
Tim
