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Draft:Lhasa Limited

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Lhasa Limited company logo

Lhasa Limited is a UK-based not-for-profit educational charity founded in 1983,[1][2] specialising in the development of software that supports decision-making in chemical safety assessments.[3] Its name originally referred to the Logic and Heuristics Applied to Synthetic Analysis (LHASA) project.[4]

Lhasa Limited is internationally recognised for its suite of in silico tools, primarily used within the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, regulatory, academic and chemical industries.[5] The organisation is particularly known for its flagship software solutions, including Derek Nexus, Sarah Nexus, Meteor Nexus, Zeneth, Vitic and Mirabilis.[6] These tools assist in tasks such as predicting toxicity, metabolism, degradation pathways and impurity assessments.[7][8] In addition to its software, Lhasa Limited facilitates pre-competitive, cross-industry data sharing initiatives, such as the Vitic Complex Nitrosamines data-sharing project.[9][10]

Lhasa Limited operates globally, with distribution partners in Latin America, South Korea and China.[11] Its membership model includes all the top 20 world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Amgen, Pfizer, Sanofi, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Merck & Co., Hoffman La Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).[12][13]

History

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Lhasa Limited was established in 1983 by Dr Peter Johnson and Dr Philip Judson, evolving from the original LHASA project at Harvard and the University of Leeds.[14] Initially based within the University of Leeds, Dr Peter Johnson built a team focused on expert systems for chemical synthesis and toxicology prediction.[15]

The organisation was set up as a not-for-profit entity and registered as an educational charity, with the goal of improving chemical safety through shared knowledge and predictive software.[16] In June 2017, Dr Chris Barber was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), a role he continues to hold as of 2025.[17]

Key milestones and achievements

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Lhasa Limited has achieved several notable milestones that highlight its ongoing impact in the fields of chemical safety and scientific software development. In recognition of its innovation, the organisation received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation twice - first in 2016 for Derek Nexus, its expert knowledge-based toxicity prediction software, and again in 2017 for Sarah Nexus, a statistical-based tool for predicting mutagenicity in line with ICH M7 regulatory requirements.[18] [19]

The company has continued to expand its influence and capabilities through product innovation and strategic growth. In October 2022, Lhasa Limited was awarded the Tech4Good Award (Product) at the Leeds Digital Festival Awards, acknowledging the positive societal impact of its technology.[20] This was followed by the launch of Consult Lhasa, a wholly owned subsidiary established in January 2024 to deliver expert scientific risk assessments to the global pharmaceutical industry.[21][22]

In January 2025, Lhasa Limited further extended its global presence through the acquisition of Molecular Networks GmbH and Altamira, LLC. These acquisitions were aimed at broadening the organisation’s scientific software offerings and deepening its contribution to chemical safety assessment across multiple industries.[23][24][25]

Demonstrating its commitment not only to science but also to workplace excellence, Lhasa Limited was named Workplace Culture Champion at the Prolific North Champions Awards 2025, in recognition of its inclusive, collaborative and values-driven organisational culture.[26]

Governing board

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As of August 2025, the company's board consisted of the following directors and trustees:[27]

  • Duncan Ratcliffe, Head of IT and Premises at Skipton Building Society
  • Steve Marsland, Director for Homelessness Outcomes Contracts
  • Krista Dobo, Research Fellow at Pfizer
  • Stuart Clarke MBE, Co-founder and Festival Director at the Leeds Digital Festival
  • Camilla Alexander-White, Independent Scientific Advisor on Chemicals Policy
  • Richard Brennan, Scientific Advisor, Preclinical safety at Sanofi.
  • Marcus Mills, Commercial Chief Financial Officer
  • David Rawson, Director of Product Offerings at Factor
  • Steve Gutsell, Computational Science and Team Leader at Unilever
  • Jim Harvey, Director, Target and Systems Safety GSK
  • Tanja Lichtensteiger, Director, Product Engineering at BBC

The Board of Trustees are responsible for overseeing the organisations strategic direction, compliance and alignment with its charitable objectives.[28] In addition to the Board of Trustees, Lhasa Limited is supported by a Scientific Advisory Board, which provides guidance on the development and application of expert computer-based systems. This advisory board plays a key role in ensuring the scientific integrity and relevance of the organisation’s software tools and collaborative initiatives.

International reach and partnerships

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Lhasa Limited operates internationally, supporting a global user base across multiple sectors including pharmaceutical, regulatory, chemical and academic. In addition to its UK headquarters, the organisation works with regional distributors and representatives in Latin America (CTR Scientific)[29][30], South Korea (BITEKCHEMS inc.)[31] and China (CloudScientific)[32] to provide local support and promote the adoption of its software tools.

References

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  1. ^ "LHASA LIMITED". Register of Charities. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Lhasa Limited annual report and consolidated financial statements". Register of Charities. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Our solutions". Lhasa Limited. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  4. ^ Pensak, David; Corey, E.J. (1 June 1977). "LHASA—Logic and Heuristics Applied to Synthetic Analysis". Computer-Assisted Organic Synthesis. ACS Symposium Series. Vol. 61. American Chemical Society. pp. 1–19. doi:10.1021/bk-1977-0061.ch001. ISBN 978-0-8412-0394-5. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Lhasa Limited". Norecopa. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Lhasa Limited". UK QSAR and Cheminformatics Group. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  7. ^ Marchant, Carol; Briggs, Katharine; Long, Anthony (February 2008). "In silico tools for sharing data and knowledge on toxicity and metabolism: Derek for Windows, Meteor, and Vitic". Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods. 18 (2–3): 177–187. doi:10.1080/15376510701857320. PMID 20020913.
  8. ^ Burns, Michael; Teasdale, Andrew; Elliott, Eric (30 June 2020). "Controlling a Cohort: Use of Mirabilis-Based Purge Calculations to Understand Nitrosamine-Related Risk and Control Strategy Options". Organic Process Research & Development. 24 (8): 1531–1535. doi:10.1021/acs.oprd.0c00264. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  9. ^ Schlingemann, Jorg; Burns, Michael; Ponting, David (May 2023). "The Landscape of Potential Small and Drug Substance Related Nitrosamines in Pharmaceuticals". Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 112 (5): 1287–1304. doi:10.1016/j.xphs.2022.11.013. PMID 36402198.
  10. ^ Boetzel, Ruth; Schlingemann, Joerg; Hickert, Sebastian (June 2023). "A Nitrite Excipient Database: A Useful Tool to Support N-Nitrosamine Risk Assessments for Drug Products". Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 112 (6): 1615–1624. Bibcode:2023JPhmS.112.1615B. doi:10.1016/j.xphs.2022.04.016. PMID 35500671. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Lhasa Limited privacy policy". Lhasa Limited. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Our members". Lhasa Limited. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  13. ^ "New horizons in toxicity prediction: supporting pharmaceutical development". University of Leeds. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Chapter 4. International Repercussions of the Harvard LHASA Project". Knowledge-based Expert Systems in Chemistry. Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Series. 2019. pp. 39–45. doi:10.1039/9781788016186-00039. ISBN 978-1-78801-471-7.
  15. ^ "About Us - Keymodule". Keymodule.
  16. ^ "LHASA LIMITED". Register of Charities. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Dr Chris Barber". The Business Desk. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Lhasa receives second Queen's Award for Enterprise". Manufacturing Chemist. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Not-for-profit Q&A". European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  20. ^ "Leeds Digital Festival Awards winners announced". 4 October 2022.
  21. ^ "CONSULT LHASA LIMITED". Gov.uk. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  22. ^ "Consult Lhasa is launched by Lhasa Limited to provide expert scientific risk assessments worldwide". Consult Lhasa. 9 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Molecular Networks GmbH and Altamira our story". Molecular Networks.
  24. ^ "Lhasa acquisition to streamline cosmetic chemical safety via computer simulation". Personal care insights. 30 January 2024.
  25. ^ "MN-AM Company (Molecular Networks GMBH and Altamira LLC) is acquired by Lhasa Limited, the Leader in Decision Making Software for in Silico Chemical Safety – MN-AM". Molecular Networks. 30 January 2024.
  26. ^ "The Prolific North Champions Awards 2025: The Winners - Prolific North". 9 May 2025.
  27. ^ "LHASA LIMITED". Register of Charities. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  28. ^ "Our Governance". Lhasa Limited. Lhasa Limited. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  29. ^ "New partnership between Lhasa Limited and CTR Scientific advances chemical safety assessments in Mexico". Lhasa Limited. Lhasa Limited. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  30. ^ "CTR Scientific". CTR Scientific.
  31. ^ "BITEKCHEMS Inc". BITEKCHEMS Inc.
  32. ^ "CloudScientific". CloudScientific.
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