The Company
S-Matrix develops advanced and innovative Automated Experimentation software. The Fusion AE™ software product suite incorporates expert-system guided and multivariate data analysis within a Quality-by-Design (QbD) framework. Tailored modules are designed for targeted applications in Analytical, Formulation, and Chemical and Process R&D laboratories within the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and Chemical industries. Built to work seamlessly with the Empower, Chemstation and Chromeleon Chromatography Data Systems (CDS), Fusion AE™ also offers users complete 21 CFR Part 11 support and a comprehensive workflow management system.
Located on the scenic northern California coast, S-Matrix was incorporated in 1985 as a consulting service that specialized in developing and applying advanced statistical tools and methods to solve industrial research and development problems in the Aerospace, Fine Chemicals, Semiconductor, Consumer Products, and Pharmaceutical industries. Over the years the company has evolved into a leading provider of advanced Design of Experiments software with a customer base that includes the world’s largest pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
Ongoing strategic alliances with international pharmaceutical, analytical instrument, and process equipment manufacturers have enabled S-Matrix to rapidly automate specific R&D experimentation applications for use within the framework of its Quality-by-Design based Fusion AE software platform.
Some of the innovations developed and offered first by S-Matrix include:
Fusion LC Method Development - Automated Design of Experiments (DOE) for Chromatography Data Systems
S-Matrix's patented Fusion AE™ platform (U.S. Patent No. 7,239,966 B2) exports statistical experimental designs to a CDS as ready-to-run instrument methods and sequences in the native file/data formats of that CDS, and imports all chromatographic results for instant data analysis and reporting. All of these exchanges employ file-less data transfer protocols which leave no data outside of a regulatory compliant software environment.
Novel Chromatographic Method Performance Characterizations
For stationary phase and mobile phase screening studies S-Matrix's patented Trend Responses™ technology (U.S. Patent No. 7,613,574 B2) overcome the inherent limitations in traditional data generated by both trial-and-error and classical Design of Experiments (DOE) approaches to place Design of Experiments (DOE) activities on a rigorous and quantitative footing.
Robustness Simulator
S-Matrix's patented Robustness Simulator™ technology (U.S. Patent No. 7,606,685 B2) is the first software to completely integrate DOE, Monte Carlo simulation, and Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques and methods into expert-system R&D software. The result is the ability to efficiently study any product or process and simultaneously optimize it for both mean (average) performance and robustness in terms of all critical quality attributes.
Advanced Optimality Designs
S-Matrix's algorithm design generators use a combination of optimality criteria to assure (1) uniform sampling (coverage) of experimental design regions, and (2) sampling of the interior of the experimental design region where complex variable effects are commonly expressed. These designs are proven to be far superior to simple D-optimal designs from a diagnostic and predictive modeling (data-2-knowledge) standpoint.
Automated and User-interactive Operating Modes for All Product Modules
Automated mode of operation – all statistical decisions by which the experimental design is selected and the data analysis is performed are automatically made for the user based on rigorous statistical principles and criteria, and all decisions are documented in design and analysis reports.
User-interactive mode – wizard dialogs guide the user through all statistical decisions by which the experimental design is selected and data analysis is performed. All valid options are displayed with the software's recommendations highlighted and pre-selected by default. All user selections are documented in design and analysis reports.
Advanced Repair Designs (Data Mining Support)
S-Matrix's algorithm design generators can diagnose the information content of existing data sets in terms of their ability to support development of diagnostic and predictive multivariate statistical models (data-2-knowledge). If the data sets do not support full model development, the design generators can create efficient "Repair Designs" which define the specific additional data required to fill in all information gaps with the minimum number of additional experiment runs.
Patents
NOVEMBER 3, 2009
Robustness Simulator™
U.S. Patent No. 7,606,685 B2 granted to S-Matrix Corporation. Robustness Simulator integrates automatically computed robustness metrics for all critical quality attributes studied into its method development experiments.
OCTOBER 20, 2009
Trend Responses™
U.S. Patent No. 7,613,574 B2 granted to S-Matrix Corporation. Trend Responses eliminate the need for laborious and error-prone peak tracking in column and solvent system screening experiments.
JULY 3, 2007
System for Automating Scientific and Engineering Experimentation
U.S. Patent No. 7,239,996 B2 granted to S-Matrix Corporation. A system for automated experimentation comprising: an automated experimentation platform (AEP) for automating experimentation processes and a generalized exchange module (GEM) for automating data exchanges between the AEP and one or more target applications and for enabling the data exchange of the AEP to be generic; the system wherein the one or more target applications can be any of or any combination of external software applications, devices, or instrument control programs (ICPs).