What Crelux does

Crelux (legal entity CRELUX GmbH) is a Germany-based contract research organization (CRO) headquartered in Gräfelfing near Munich, providing structure-based early-stage drug discovery services to pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, and academic research institutions. Founded circa 2003 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the publicly listed CRDMO WuXi AppTec (Shanghai Stock Exchange: 603259), Crelux sits within WuXi's Discovery Biology unit and integrates its capabilities with WuXi's broader CRDMO portfolio. Its service portfolio spans the preclinical discovery workflow from protein production through to lead optimization.

The company's core technical capabilities include custom protein production (CRELUX Protein), X-ray crystallography including high-throughput formats, cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM), biophysical and biochemical characterization, fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD), DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening, medicinal chemistry with computer-aided drug design (CADD), and scientific advisory / project management. A notable proprietary capability is the Spectral Shift platform — a fluorescence-based direct binding technology adopted from NanoTemper Technologies in 2022, enabling screening of up to 1,000,000 compounds within two weeks. The company reports validated assay coverage exceeding 500 drug targets, over 400 fragment-bound structures, and seven beamline partnerships with synchrotron facilities (Diamond Light Source, ESRF, Swiss Light Source / PSI, and others).

Revenue is generated through B2B contract research agreements structured as either milestone-based fee-for-service engagements or multi-year FTE (full-time equivalent) partnerships, with pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company sells to enterprise R&D teams via direct scientific advisory engagement and leverages the WuXi AppTec ecosystem for marketing reach, including the parent's newsletter circulation and participation at industry conferences such as PSDI and FBLD. In 2024, Crelux relocated to a new Life Science Center facility in Gräfelfing to expand laboratory capacity and enable cross-functional collaboration.

Name

Crelux

Legal name

CRELUX GmbH

Website

https://crelux.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crelux (CRELUX GmbH) is a Germany-based contract research organization and wholly-owned subsidiary of WuXi AppTec, providing structure-based early-stage drug discovery services — including protein production, X-ray crystallography, Cryo-EM, biophysics, FBDD, DEL screening, and MedChem — to pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic clients worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Research Organization (Drug Discovery Services)

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

akta.pro primary industry

Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK) (HLAGAAAB)

Keywords

• Drug discovery services
• Structural biology
• Protein production
• Biophysical screening
• Medicinal chemistry

Headquarters

HQ city

Martinsried

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contract Research Services (CRO): Fee-for-service contract research organization providing drug discovery services including protein production, structural biology, biophysical assays, library screening, and medicinal chemistry. Revenue generated through project-based fees, milestone payments, and FTE (Full Time Equivalent) partnerships.
2. FTE Partnerships: Full Time Equivalent partnerships based on agreed working plans, providing ongoing collaboration with clients for drug discovery projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Crelux is a global contract research organization (CRO) providing integrated early-stage drug discovery services spanning protein production, structural biology (X-ray crystallography and Cryo-EM), biophysical and biochemical analysis, library screening (DEL, fragment-based), and medicinal chemistry. Services are delivered individually or as end-to-end workflows from gene to hit to lead, serving pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic clients worldwide.

Product overview

Crelux is a comprehensive drug discovery services provider offering an integrated platform of services spanning from protein production through to lead optimization. The portfolio includes CRELUX Protein (custom protein production), X-ray Crystallography, High-Throughput Crystallography, Cryo-EM, Biophysics & Biochemistry, Spectral Shift (ultra-high-throughput screening technology capable of screening 1,000,000 compounds in two weeks), Fragment Screening & FBDD, DEL Screening, MedChem & CADD, Ready-To-Go Services (pre-validated assays on validated targets), and Scientific Advisory & Project Management. Services can be used individually or integrated as a complete workflow from target to lead.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CRELUX Protein Custom protein production service providing continuous supply of high-quality proteins for drug discovery projects, supporting downstream structural biology and biophysical assays.
• X-ray Crystallography Off-the-shelf, gene-to-structure and fragment screening service using X-ray crystallography to support early stage drug discovery for pharmaceutical and biotech clients.
• High-Throughput Crystallography Scalable, automated X-ray crystallography workflow for rapid generation and analysis of large numbers of macromolecular structures, with fragment or compound screening capacity of hundreds of crystals per week.
• Cryo-EM Cryo-electron microscopy service for three-dimensional structure determination of biological macromolecules in near-native conditions, complementing X-ray crystallography and NMR for targets including membrane proteins and multi-subunit complexes.
• Biophysics & Biochemistry Diverse technology platform for target validation, fast hit finding, hit confirmation, and lead series optimization using multiple biophysical and biochemical methods including MST, nanoDSF, and SPR.
• Spectral Shift Next-generation fluorescence-based direct binding technology that detects minute emission spectrum changes upon ligand binding, enabling ultra-high-throughput screening of up to 1,000,000 compounds in two weeks under near-native conditions.
• Fragment Screening & FBDD Fragment-based drug discovery service using DSi Posed (860 fragments) and FragLites library (31 halogenated fragments), delivering fragment screening, hit identification, and structure-guided optimization across diverse target classes.
• DEL Screening DNA-Encoded Library technology service for compound screening and hit identification, integrated with computational approaches for hit optimization.
• MedChem & CADD Medicinal chemistry services including computer-aided drug design (CADD) to support the drug discovery process from hit identification onward, for small molecules and other modalities.
• Ready-To-Go Services Pre-validated biochemical and biophysical assays covering over 100 drug targets including membrane transporters, transcription factors, ATPases, helicases, and kinases, available without protein production or assay setup.
• Scientific Advisory & Project Management Provides scientific advisory, comprehensive quality and process monitoring, milestone-based project management, and FTE partnership support for drug discovery collaborations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 1,000,000 compounds screened in 2 weeks using Spectral Shift technology
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• NanoTemper TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2011Crelux has partnered with NanoTemper Technologies for more than 10 years, serving as a certified NanoTemper Technologies service provider. Crelux was among the first CROs worldwide to adopt Spectral Shift technology after its release in 2022. The partnership enables Crelux to offer MST (Microscale Thermophoresis) and nanoDSF services.
• WuXi AppTeccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrelux is a subsidiary of WuXi AppTec and part of the WuXi AppTec Discovery Biology unit. The company integrates its capabilities within the comprehensive portfolio of CRDMO services offered by parent company WuXi AppTec, creating a unique opportunity to leverage one of the most comprehensive open-access technology platforms in the healthcare industry.
• Diamond Light SourcemajorTechnology or IntegrationSynchrotron partner providing access to beamtime for X-ray crystallography data collection. Diamond Light Source is a UK national synchrotron science facility.
• ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility)majorTechnology or IntegrationSynchrotron partner providing beamtime access for crystallography experiments. ESRF is a European research facility located in Grenoble, France.
• Synchrotron Beamline PartnersmajorTechnology or IntegrationCrelux maintains 7 beamline partnerships for weekly beamtime access with synchrotron partners, enabling highest-resolution, fully automated X-ray diffraction data collection for structural biology studies.
• Swiss Light Source (PSI)majorTechnology or IntegrationPartner synchrotron facility providing access to advanced crystallography and structural biology capabilities.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Evotec: Evotec is a global drug discovery alliance company offering integrated services from target identification through preclinical, including structural biology, protein production, and screening. Directly comparable as a full-service early-stage discovery CRO with a similar end-to-end service model to Crelux.
• Domainex: Domainex is an integrated drug discovery CRO offering protein production, structural biology, medicinal chemistry, and assay development services. Comparable as a similar-sized specialist CRO focused on early-stage discovery partnerships with biotech and pharma clients.
• Proteros Biostructures: Proteros is a Germany-based structure-based drug discovery CRO offering protein production, X-ray crystallography, Cryo-EM, biophysics, and fragment screening services. Highly comparable as a direct competitor in the same Munich-area structural biology niche.
• Sygnature Discovery: Sygnature is a UK-based integrated drug discovery CRO providing medicinal chemistry, DMPK, in vitro pharmacology, and structural biology services. Comparable as a mid-sized, full-service early-discovery CRO targeting similar pharma and biotech customers.

Broad incumbents

• Schrödinger: Schrödinger provides physics-based computational chemistry and predictive modeling software used for structure-based drug design, complementing wet-lab structural biology CROs. Comparable as a closely adjacent player in structure-based discovery, though it operates primarily as a software/computational company rather than a wet-lab CRO.
• Eurofins Discovery: Eurofins Discovery offers integrated drug discovery services including structural biology, biophysics, and medicinal chemistry services through its global platform. Comparable as a broad incumbent with partial overlap in early-stage discovery CRO services, though it operates across many testing domains.
• Charles River Laboratories: Charles River is a large, publicly traded CRO that offers early-stage discovery services (including its Discovery and Safety Assessment segment) alongside broader nonclinical and manufacturing capabilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping early discovery capabilities, though Crelux is far more specialized in structural biology.

Regional players

• GenScript ProBio: GenScript ProBio is an Asia-headquartered contract development and manufacturing organization offering protein production, cell line development, and biologics discovery services. Comparable through overlap in protein production and biologics capabilities, though it primarily serves Asia-Pacific clients.

Emerging players

• HitGen: HitGen is a China-based drug discovery CRO specializing in DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening technology, with expanding capabilities in medicinal chemistry. Comparable through direct overlap in DEL screening services that Crelux also offers via the WuXi platform.

Others

• WuXi AppTec (Discovery Biology): WuXi AppTec is Crelux's parent CRDMO offering end-to-end discovery, development, and manufacturing services globally. Included as the integrating parent whose Discovery Biology unit encompasses Crelux and provides the broader CRDMO platform context for Crelux's positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crelux
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/2302402

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Crelux