Hauptman Woodward Medical Research Institute

What Hauptman Woodward Medical Research Institute does

Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI; DBA UB-HWI) is a nonprofit structural biology research institute founded in 1956 and headquartered on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in Buffalo, New York. As of January 7, 2025, HWI formally joined the University at Buffalo, becoming part of the SUNY system and operating under the institutional identity UB-HWI. The institute's purpose is to improve human health and well-being through structural biology research, with applications spanning medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture.

HWI's core offering is a portfolio of specialized structural biology research facilities and services. Its two principal assets are the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center (providing single-particle and microcrystal electron diffraction capabilities) and the NIH-supported National Crystallization Center (providing protein crystallization services for structural biology). Both facilities serve industry, academic, government, and non-profit research institutes and together constitute HWI's product surface, complemented by internally conducted basic research published in peer-reviewed venues. The institute's scientists are positioned as world-class researchers in structural biology, and the facilities are differentiated by their domain specialization rather than by proprietary consumer-facing IP.

HWI's business model is professional services and sponsored research: it generates revenue by providing cryo-EM and protein crystallization services on a project-by-project basis and is funded in part through NIH support for the National Crystallization Center. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is sales-led, direct engagement with research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and biotech firms requiring structural biology data for drug discovery and basic research. Following the UB merger, marketing is conducted primarily through the University at Buffalo website, news and events coverage, and the newly launched Structural Biology Symposium.

Name

Hauptman Woodward Medical Research Institute

Legal name

Hauptman-Woodward Research Institute

Website

https://hwi.buffalo.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute is a Buffalo, NY-based nonprofit structural biology research center operating cryo-EM and NIH-supported protein crystallization facilities that serve academic, government, non-profit, and industry clients. Founded in 1956, it joined the University at Buffalo in January 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Biology Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Crystallization, Particle Engineering & Micronization Services (HLAGAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE), Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Structural biology research
• Cryo-electron microscopy
• Protein crystallization
• Medical research services
• Biomedical research

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Services: Provides specialized structural biology research services including cryo-electron microscopy and protein crystallization to external research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and biotech firms. Revenue generated through service fees for using specialized equipment and expertise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute provides specialized structural biology research services through two core facilities: the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center, which offers single-particle and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) capabilities, and the NIH-supported National Crystallization Center, which delivers protein crystallization services. These offerings are sold to academic, government, non-profit, and industry research organizations that need access to capital-intensive structural biology infrastructure and expertise they cannot maintain in-house.

Product overview

The Hauptman-Woodward Research Institute (HWI) is a research institute focused on structural biology, offering specialized research facilities and services. The institute operates two primary research facilities: the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center (providing single-particle and microcrystal electron diffraction) and the NIH-supported National Crystallization Center (providing protein crystallization services). These facilities serve industry, academic, government, and non-profit research institutes, delivering critical advancements in structural biology with applications in medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center A research facility providing single-particle cryo-electron microscopy and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) services for industry, academic, government, and non-profit research institutes requiring structural biology data.
• National Crystallization Center An NIH-supported national facility providing unique protein crystallization services for structural biology, supporting academic, government, and non-profit research institutes.
• Structural Biology Research Services

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• University at BuffalocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 January 2025HWI officially joined the University at Buffalo on January 7, 2025. The institute operates as part of UB, developing cures for tomorrow through structural biology research with innovation, discovery, and education.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• New York Structural Biology Center (NYSBC): Operates the National Center for Cryo-EM Access and Training (NCCAT) and multiple beamlines for crystallography in New York. Most direct peer to HWI as an NIH-supported structural biology consortium offering cryo-EM and crystallization services to academic and industry users.
• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (Stanford-SLAC): Operates the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) and cryo-EM facilities supporting structural biology research. Comparable model of a federally/Stanford-affiliated facility providing crystallization, synchrotron, and cryo-EM services to academic and industry clients.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory: Operates the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) with beamlines dedicated to macromolecular crystallography. Directly comparable federally-funded user facility offering structural biology services to academic, government, and industry researchers.
• Argonne National Laboratory: Operates the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a major synchrotron providing X-ray crystallography capabilities for structural biology. A national-lab peer offering complementary structural biology infrastructure to academic and industry users.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (EMSL): Operates the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), which includes cryo-EM and structural biology capabilities. DOE user-facility peer providing specialized instrumentation and expertise for biological and materials research.

Broad incumbents

• Scripps Research: Major biomedical research institute with extensive structural biology, cryo-EM, and X-ray crystallography operations. Broader incumbent offering structural biology as part of a much larger drug discovery and basic research portfolio.
• Stowers Institute for Medical Research: Private biomedical research institute with structural biology capabilities including cryo-EM and crystallography. Comparable as a non-academic, mission-driven research organization, though broader in scope than HWI's structural biology focus.
• Janelia Research Campus (HHMI): HHMI's research campus hosting advanced structural biology and cryo-EM capabilities. A non-profit research organization with deep structural biology infrastructure, broadly comparable as a mission-focused scientific institute.

Regional players

• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Intergovernmental research organization with structural biology beamlines and cryo-EM facilities at its Heidelberg and other sites. Globally comparable structural biology user facility, but operates in Europe rather than the U.S. market where HWI competes.
• Diamond Light Source: UK-based synchrotron offering macromolecular crystallography beamlines for structural biology research. A regional/non-U.S. peer with a comparable user-facility model serving academic and industry researchers in structural biology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HWMRI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hauptman Woodward Medical Research Institute