The company was founded in 1996 and represents a joint venture between the State Government of Sarawak in Malaysia (through its Crop Research & Applications Unit) and MediChem Research. In 1999 MediChem Research transferred its proprietary assets to Advanced Life Sciences. The company is a for-profit Public-Private Partnership organization, focused on natural product drug development by advancing promising drug candidates from the forest to the patient. Sarawak MediChem Pharmaceuticals aims at completing the development of a family of naturally occurring anti-infective compounds, known as the calanolides, in order to improve treatment options for patients throughout the world. The company's experienced management team has nurtured good working relations with world-class contract service providers. By using a business model that out-sources all its manufacturing, pre-clinical and clinical research requirements, the company is able to manage its product development programs efficiently and cost-effectively.