StarDrop

StarDrop, developed by Optibrium, is a comprehensive small molecule drug discovery and data visualisation platform trusted by medicinal chemists at thousands of global drug discovery organisations, including 50% of the world's top biopharma companies. Designed to accelerate the hit-to-candidate process, StarDrop integrates molecular design, multi-parameter optimisation, structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis, and real-time collaboration into a single, intuitive environment — enabling teams to make better decisions faster and reach their goals using fewer resources.

StarDrop is built for medicinal chemists who need to work efficiently with large, complex datasets, balance multiple compound properties simultaneously, and collaborate seamlessly across multidisciplinary teams. Its flexible visualisation tools and AI-powered insights help users prioritise the compounds most likely to succeed and focus synthesis efforts where they matter most.

Core Capabilities

• Real-time collaboration: Powerful real-time collaboration tools ensure teams stay aligned on the latest project data, coordinate effectively, track ideas with complete clarity, and progress faster together by eliminating inefficiencies.
• Easy SAR analysis: Instantly understand and explore structure-activity relationships within chemical series, enabling rapid design decisions — users report gaining a clear SAR view within five minutes.
• Clear data visualisation: Generate interactive charts, graphs, and chemical spaces to better comprehend complex multi-parameter datasets and extract deeper insights from experimental data.
• Multi-parameter optimisation (MPO): Identify compounds with the best balance of activity, ADME, and physicochemical properties using probabilistic scoring approaches.
• Intuitive Card View®: A unique approach to visualising the relationships within compounds and chemical series, providing a distinctive perspective on compound data.
• Dynamic Glowing Molecule™: Explore structure-property relationships with instant visual feedback on optimisation strategies, highlighting how structural changes affect key properties.
• Seamless AI insights: Leverage the capabilities of Optibrium's Cerella AI platform directly from within StarDrop to reveal transformative insights from compound data.
• 3D docking and alignment: Integrated access to 3D modelling to analyse SAR, identify potential liabilities, and guide compound design through structure-based approaches.
• Database access: Seamlessly connect to in-house databases via a user-friendly interface to access the latest and most relevant compound data.

Plug-in Modules for In Silico Modelling

• ADME QSAR: High-quality predictive QSAR models covering a broad range of key ADME and physicochemical properties to guide compound design.
• Metabolism: Quickly identify metabolic pathways and potential metabolites, and guide compound design to avoid metabolic liabilities.
• Derek Nexus: Knowledge-based prediction of over 40 key toxicity endpoints, helping guide the design of safe and efficacious drugs.
• Auto-Modeller: Build and validate robust QSAR models tailored to your specific chemistry and data in an easy and intuitive way.

Plug-in Modules for Generative Chemistry

• Nova: Generate and prioritise new, relevant compound ideas using virtual library enumeration and generative chemistry methods.
• BIOSTER: Extend Nova's capabilities with access to over 29,000 structure modifications and bioisosteric replacement techniques drawn from a world of chemistry experience.
• Inspyra: Combine expert chemistry knowledge with the exploratory power of generative methods to identify optimal compounds faster.

Plug-in Modules for 2D and 3D SAR and Design

• eSim3D: 3D ligand-based design module enabling users to understand binding conformations and identify and optimise novel active compounds.
• SeeSAR: 3D structure-based design module for visualising ligand and protein structures and identifying key interactions driving binding affinity.
• MPO Explorer: Develop multi-parameter optimisation strategies using patented rule induction and sensitivity analysis methods.

Customisation and Integration

• Comprehensive customisation options allow StarDrop to be tailored to individual workflows and informatics infrastructures.
• Integration with in-house and external databases ensures access to the most relevant and up-to-date compound data.
• Collaborative drug design extensions support multidisciplinary team working within a single environment.
• Flexible deployment options are available, including desktop, cloud-based, and several hosted server configurations, all delivering identical functionality and user experience.

Proven Impact and User Outcomes

• Tasks that previously required manually reviewing thousands of pages of patent applications can be completed in under 10 minutes using StarDrop's R-group analysis capabilities.
• Medicinal chemists report that easy access to predictive models and SAR analysis reduces the need to synthesise large numbers of untargeted molecules, saving time and cost.
• StarDrop supports the full medicinal chemistry spectrum, from hit triage and early-stage design through to processing pre-clinical data.
• Multidisciplinary teams benefit from shared insights earlier in the discovery process, enabling faster and better-aligned compound progression decisions.

StarDrop annual subscriptions typically start at around $10,000, with pricing scaling based on the breadth of functionality and number of users, including options for global site licences with multiple modules. The platform is used across academic, biotech, and large pharma settings, and a free personalised demo is available for teams wishing to evaluate how StarDrop fits their specific research needs.