What NstarX does

NASTRX, Inc. is a privately held structural biology services company founded in 2004 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm provides contract crystallography and structural proteomics services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, centered on synchrotron X-ray diffraction data collection at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), 3-D structure determination of protein-ligand complexes, and de novo protein structure determination. Its service portfolio includes the branded RapidDetermination line (Type 1 for initial electron density identification and ligand placement, and Type 2 for de novo phasing from MAD/SAD or MIR/SIR data), StructureComplete for publication-quality refinement, Structural Analysis, and a Structural Proteomic Informatics solution intended for structure-based drug design programs.

The business operates as a B2B professional services firm on a contract basis. Clients ship frozen crystal samples to NASTRX, the firm collects and processes data at APS, posts results in real time to a secure server, and returns raw images, scaled data, summary reports, and frozen samples to the client. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per engagement. Customer targeting is vertical — pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies engaged in drug discovery — with no named logos or publicly disclosed customer base.

The company is led by a two-person executive team: David E. Do, J.D., M.B.A. (CEO and Chief Legal Counsel) and Joseph S. Brunzelle, Ph.D. (CSO and President). Headcount is reported at 1-10 employees, and there is no evidence of external venture or private equity funding, a parent organization, or material geographic expansion. The most recent peer-reviewed publications listed on the company website are dated 2008, and the public-facing site is minimalist, suggesting a static, boutique-style operating footprint with no visible recent investment in growth, technology refresh, or business development.

Name

NstarX

Legal name

NASTRX, Inc.

Website

https://nastrx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NASTRX is a Chicago-based contract crystallography firm providing synchrotron X-ray structure determination, refinement, and structural proteomic informatics services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Biology Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO (HLAGABAK)

Keywords

• Structural biology services
• X-ray crystallography
• Protein structure determination
• Structural proteomics
• Drug discovery support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Contract Crystallography Services: B2B contract services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including X-ray diffraction data collection, structure determination, and structural analysis. Services are customized to client needs with real-time data posting and comprehensive reporting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

NASTRX provides contract crystallography and structural proteomics services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The company performs synchrotron X-ray data collection at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), 3-D structure determination of protein-ligand complexes, de novo protein structure determination, and integrated structural proteomic informatics for structure-based drug design programs.

Product overview

NASTRX provides integrated structural proteomics services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The core offering centers on Contract Crystallography services, encompassing synchrotron X-ray data collection at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), data analysis, and structure determination. The RapidDetermination service (Type 1 for ligand placement and Type 2 for de novo phase determination) enables rapid structural insights, while StructureComplete delivers publication-quality refined structures. These are complemented by Structural Analysis and Structural Proteomic Informatics solutions that support structure-based drug design programs. The company was founded in 2004 and specializes in customization for client-specific needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RapidDetermination: Structure determination service broken into two types: Type 1 is initial electron density identification and placement of ligand compounds with results posted in real time; Type 2 is initial de novo determination phases from MAD/SAD or MIR/SIR X-ray diffraction data.
• StructureComplete
• Structural Proteomic Informatics

Products and services

• Contract Crystallography Core service providing synchrotron X-ray data collection at the Advance Photon Source (APS) and comprehensive data analysis. Frozen crystal samples are shipped to NASTRX, processed, integrated and scaled, with results posted in real time on a secure server and final deliverables shipped back to the client. Intended for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies needing protein crystallography data.
• RapidDetermination Structure determination service offered in two types: Type 1 performs initial electron density identification and placement of ligand compounds with results posted in real time on a secure server; Type 2 performs initial de novo determination phases from MAD/SAD or MIR/SIR X-ray diffraction data. Targeted at pharma and biotech clients needing rapid crystallographic insights.
• StructureComplete Full and final refinement of a macromolecular molecule to publication-quality standards. Serves pharma and biotech researchers who require publishable crystal structures.
• Structural Proteomic Informatics Fully integrated structural proteomic informatics solution for structure-based drug design programs. Supports pharma and biotech clients in translating crystal structures into actionable drug design insights.
• De Novo Protein Structure Services De novo determination services for new target projects, covering protein structure elucidation from first principles for clients pursuing novel targets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Real-time data posting enables faster decision-making in drug discovery timelines
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Advance Photon Source (APS)coreTechnology or IntegrationNASTRX conducts synchrotron X-ray data collection at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a national user facility. This partnership provides access to high-intensity X-ray sources essential for protein crystallography data collection, which is central to NASTRX's service offerings for structural biology research.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Xtal BioStructures: Xtal BioStructures is a U.S.-based contract crystallography provider offering protein crystallization, X-ray data collection, and structure determination services to pharma and biotech — a closely comparable specialist peer to NASTRX.
• SARomics Biostructures: SARomics is a Sweden-based structural biology services provider focused on X-ray crystallography, SBDD, and protein–ligand complex determination, closely mirroring NASTRX's core offering for pharma/biotech drug discovery.
• Crelux (a Proteros company): Crelux is a structural biology CRO specializing in X-ray crystallography and protein production for structure-based drug design, now part of Proteros — a direct head-to-head competitor to NASTRX in contract SBDD services.
• Proteros: Proteros is a Germany-based structural biology CRO offering X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM, and biophysics services to pharma and biotech — the most direct functional comparable to NASTRX's contract crystallography and structure determination business.
• ZoBio: ZoBio is a Netherlands-based structural biology CRO providing protein crystallography, fragment-based lead discovery, and biophysics for pharma — directly comparable in service mix and customer base to NASTRX.

Broad incumbents

• Bruker: Bruker is a major scientific instrument vendor with a structural biology portfolio (X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM systems) and adjacent service offerings, positioning it as a broad incumbent in the same end markets as NASTRX.
• Rigaku: Rigaku is a global manufacturer of X-ray crystallography instruments and also provides protein crystallography services and beamline support, making it a broad incumbent that competes with NASTRX in both equipment and structural biology services.
• Charles River Laboratories: Charles River is a large, diversified CRO with structural biology capabilities among many other discovery services — a broad incumbent comparable in customer base (pharma/biotech) though structurally different in scale and scope.

Emerging players

• Schrödinger: Schrödinger is a computational SBDD platform company whose physics-based structure prediction and informatics overlap with NASTRX's Structural Proteomic Informatics offering — an emerging, partially overlapping peer in the SBDD value chain.
• Domainex: Domainex is an integrated UK CRO with structural biology (including X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM) embedded in a broader drug discovery offering — comparable as an emerging player that bundles crystallography with adjacent services NASTRX provides.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about NstarX