FORM 10-Q
                                
               SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                      Washington, DC  20549
                                
     QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
                 SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
                                
        For the quarterly period ended September 30, 1997
                                
                 Commission File Number  0-23666


                          TRIPOS, INC.
     (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
                                
        Utah                                  43-1454986
(State or Other Jurisdiction of            (I.R.S. Employer
Incorporation or Organization)            Identification No.)


                     1699 South Hanley Road
                   St. Louis, Missouri  63144
      (Address of Principal Executive Offices and Zip Code)
                                
                                
                         (314) 647-1099
      (Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
                                
                                

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all
reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months
(or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to
file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirement for the past 90 days.

Yes  X              No

Number of shares outstanding of the issuer's Common Stock, par
value $.01 per share, as of September 30, 1997:  3,115,584 shares.


                                
                        TABLE OF CONTENTS
                                
                                
                                
PART I  FINANCIAL INFORMATION, Item 1.  Financial         Page
Statements (Unaudited)

Consolidated Balance Sheets at
     September 30, 1997 and December 31, 1996              3

Consolidated Statements of Operations
     for Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 1997
     and September 30, 1996                                4

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for Nine Months
     Ended September 30, 1997 and September 30, 1996       5

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements                 6



PART I  FINANCIAL INFORMATION,  Item 2. Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations                                                 7



PART II  OTHER INFORMATION                                10

SIGNATURES                                                11

EXHIBITS                                                  12

                             PART I
                      FINANCIAL INFORMATION
                                
Item 1.  Financial Statements.
                   CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                         (In thousands)
                            (Unaudited)
                                           Sep 30,    Dec 31,
                                              1997       1996
                             ASSETS
Current Assets:                                         
 Cash and cash equivalents               $   6,580   $   5,393
 Investments                                 2,289       3,335
 Accounts receivable                         9,646      10,558
 Prepaid expenses                              625         496
 Deferred income taxes                         151         118
      Total current assets                $ 19,291    $ 19,900
                                                        
Notes Receivable                             1,918           0
Property and equipment, less                                  
accumulated depreciation                     1,240       1,163
                   
Capitalized development costs, less                           
accumulated amortization                     3,508       3,130
                   
Other, net                                     661         316
                                                        
 Total assets                             $ 26,618    $ 24,509
                                                        
             LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
                                                        
Current Liabilities:                                    
 Accounts payable                         $    843   $     845
 Accrued expenses                            4,953       5,306
 Deferred revenue                            4,036       3,389
    Total current liabilities                9,832       9,540
               
                                                        
 Deferred income taxes                         827         602
                                                              
Shareholders' equity:                                         
 Common stock                                   31          30
 Additional paid-in capital                 15,689      15,220
 Accumulated deficit                            15      (1,382)
 Cumulative translation adjustment             224         499
   Total shareholders' equity               15,959      14,367
                                                              
 Total liabilities and                                       
 shareholders' equity                     $ 26,618    $ 24,509

See accompanying notes.
                                                                 
                                                                 
Item 1.  Financial Statements (continued)


                   CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
                   (In thousands, except per share data)
                                (Unaudited)

                           Three Months Ended     Nine Months Ended
                            Sep 30,   Sep 30,     Sep 30,    Sep 30,
                             1997      1996        1997       1996
Net sales:                                                  
   Software licenses         $ 2,972   $ 2,218    $  6,893    $ 6,438
   Support                     1,807     1,708       5,336      4,928
   Accelerated discovery
     services                  2,503     3,141       6,298      4,979
   Hardware                    1,718       486       3,616      2,814
Total net sales                9,000     7,553      22,143     19,159
                                                                     
Operating costs and expenses:                                                  
   Cost of sales               3,111     2,344       7,810      6,482
   Sales and marketing         2,693     2,741       7,367      7,732
   Research and development    1,123       851       3,127      2,472
   General and administrative    881       726       2,016      1,484
Total costs and expenses       7,808     6,662      20,320     18,170
                                                                     
Income from operations         1,192       891       1,823        989
                                                                     
Other income, net                164        47         430        174
                                                                     
Income before income taxes     1,356       938       2,253      1,163
                                                                     
Income tax expense               514       250         856        302
                                                                     
Net income                    $  842   $   688     $ 1,397     $  861
                                                                     
Fully diluted earnings per common 
and common equivalent share  $  0.24   $  0.21     $  0.40    $  0.26
                                                                     
Weighted average number                                              
of common and common                                                 
equivalent shares              3,553     3,305       3,515      3,265

See accompanying notes.


Item 1.  Financial Statements (continued)

              CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                         (In Thousands)
                           (Unaudited)


                                               Nine Months Ended
                                                Sep 30,    Sep 30,
                                                   1997       1996
 Cash flows from operating activities                        
 Net income                                     $ 1,397    $   861
 Adjustments to reconcile net income                              
  to net cash provided by operating
  activities:
 Depreciation of property and equipment             480        499
 Amortization of capitalized                      2,203      2,220
   development costs
 Deferred income taxes                              192        295
 Change in operating assets and                                   
   liabilities:
  Accounts receivable                               538       (338)
  Notes receivable                               (1,918)         0
  Prepaid expenses and other assets                (119)      (250)
  Accounts payable and accrued expenses            (278)       328
  Deferred revenue                                  751       (256)
 Net cash provided by operating                                   
   activities                                     3,246      3,359
                                                             
 Cash flows from investing activities:                            
 Net purchases, sales, and maturities            
   of investments                                 1,047       (253)
 Purchases of property and equipment               (575)      (434)
 Capitalized development costs                   (2,635)    (3,016)
 Other                                             (345)      (265)
 Net cash used in investing activities           (2,508)    (3,968)
                                                                  
 Cash flows from financing activities:                            
 Stock issuance pursuant to stock plans             568        456
 Net cash provided by financing                                   
   activities                                       568        456
                                                                  
 Effect of foreign exchange rate changes                          
  on cash and cash equivalents                    (119)        (77)
                                                                  
 Net increase (decrease) in cash and                              
 cash equivalents                                 1,187       (230)
                                                                  
 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning                           
 of period                                        5,393      3,955
                                                                  
 Cash and cash equivalents at end of                              
 period                                          $6,580    $ 3,725

See accompanying notes.


Item 1.  Financial Statements (continued)
                                
                                
           NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                           (Unaudited)

(1)  Summary of significant accounting policies


     (a)  Organization

     Tripos, Inc. (the "Company") delivers science, tools and
analysis services that advance customers' creativity and
productivity in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, biotechnology and
related research industries worldwide.  The Company is also a value-
added reseller of third party hardware products required to operate
its software products.  A substantial portion of the Company's
business is conducted with pharmaceutical companies, however, the
Company is not economically dependent on any customer on an ongoing
basis.


     (b)  Basis of Presentation

     The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements
have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles for interim financial information and with the
instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X.
Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and
footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for
complete financial statements.  In the opinion of management, all
normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of
such financial statements have been included.  Operating results
for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 1997 are
not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for
the year ended December 31, 1997.

     In March 1997, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued
Statement No. 128, "Earnings Per Share" (SFAS No. 128).  SFAS No.
128 applies to entities with publicly held common stock or
potential common stock and is effective for financial statements
issued for periods ending after December 15, 1997.  Under SFAS No.
128 the presentation of primary earnings per share is replaced with
a presentation of basic earnings per share.  SFAS No. 128 requires
dual presentation of basic and diluted earnings per share for
entities with complex capital structures.  Basic earnings per share
includes no dilution and is computed by dividing net income
available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of
common shares outstanding for the period.  Diluted earnings per
share reflects the potential dilution of securities that could
share in the earnings of the entity, similar to fully diluted
earnings per share.  Management has not yet computed the impact of
SFAS No. 128 on the Company's financial statements.

(2)  Income taxes

     The provision for income taxes is computed using the liability
method.  The difference between financial statement and taxable
income results primarily from the use of different methods of
computing capitalized development costs, accrued vacation and
customer deposits.

Item 2.  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations

Overview

     The Company's quarterly operating results can vary
significantly depending upon such factors as the capital
expenditure budgets of its customers, lengthy sales cycles, market
acceptance of new products and enhanced versions of existing
products, the timing of new product introductions by the Company,
partners and other vendors, changes in pricing policies by the
Company and other vendors, and changes in general economic and
competitive conditions.  In addition, a substantial portion of the
Company's revenues for each quarter is attributable to a limited
number of orders and tends to be realized towards the end of each
quarter.  Thus, even short delays or deferrals of sales near the
end of a quarter can cause quarterly results to fluctuate
substantially.  The Company typically experiences greater gross
margins on software licenses, consulting, and compound sales than
on sales of hardware.  The Company's profitability depends in part
on the mix of its revenue components and not necessarily on total
revenues.

Except  for the historical information and statements contained  in
Management's  Discussion  and Analysis of Financial  Condition  and
Results of Operations ("MD&A"), the matters and items contained  in
this  document,  including  MD&A, contain  certain  forward-looking
statements  that  involve uncertainties and risks.   The  Company's
future results could differ materially from those discussed in this
document.   Factors  that  could  cause  a  contribution  to   such
differences,  include, but are not limited to, those  presented  in
the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1996.

Results of Operations

     Net sales for the third quarter of 1997 were $9.0 million
compared with $7.6 million for the third quarter of 1996.  The
overall increase in net sales for the quarter was attributed to
significant increases in the software (support, licensing and
consulting) and hardware lines.  Net sales for the first nine
months of 1997 were $22.1 million compared to $19.2 million for the
same period in 1996.  Sales increases were achieved in all areas,
software licenses, support, hardware and accelerated discovery
services, for the nine month period.

     For the three months ended September 30, 1997, software
licenses sales increased 34.0% to $3.0 million.  The increase is
due to several wide-area network sales and an upfront license fee
on a custom software contract.  For the first nine months of 1997,
software license sales increased 7.1% to $6.9 million compared to
the same period for 1996.  Support revenues for the third quarter
of 1997 increased 5.8% to $1.8 million from the same period in
1996.  Support sales increased 8.3% to $5.3 million for the nine
month period ending September 30, 1997.  Accelerated discovery
services sales, primarily diverse compound libraries,  amounted to
$2.5 million in the third quarter of 1997 and $6.3 million for the
nine months year-to-date compared to $3.1 and $5.0 million for the
three and nine month periods, respectively, in 1996.  Hardware
sales increased by 253.5% to $1.7 million for the third quarter
1997.  Several large orders accounted for the increase in hardware
sales for the current quarter.  For the first nine months of 1997,
hardware sales increased 28.5% to $3.6 million compared to 1996.
Sales to existing customers represent 88.2% of total revenues for
the nine month period.  For the same period, sales of new products
represent 10.8% of software license and accelerated discovery
service sales.

     Net sales for the Company's activities outside North America
represented approximately 38.6% for the first nine months of 1997
compared to 50.7% for the same period in 1996.  Net sales in Europe
decreased 17.0% for the first nine months of 1997 compared to 1996
and accounted for 28.6% and 39.8% of net sales for the nine month
periods in 1997 and 1996, respectively.  Net sales in the Pacific
Rim, principally Japan and South Korea, increased 6.2% compared to
the first nine months of 1996 and accounted for 10.0% and 10.9% of
net sales for the respective periods.

     Cost of sales for the quarter ending September 30, 1997
increased 32.7% to $3.1 million and increased 20.5% to $7.8 million
for the nine month period in 1997.  These increases were due to the
increased sales of lower margin hardware sales.  Cost of sales as a
percent of net sales was 34.6% and 35.3% for the three and nine
month periods in 1997, and 31.0% and 33.8% for the three and nine
month periods in 1996, respectively.

     Gross profit margin percentage for the third quarter of 1997
declined to 65.4% from 69.0% in 1996.  For the first nine months of
1997, gross margin percentage decreased to 64.7% from 66.2% for the
same period in 1996.  The decrease is attributable to a change in
the sales mix in that lower margin revenue sources, specifically
hardware and chemical compound sales, represent a higher percentage
of total net sales in 1997 compared to 1996.

     Sales and marketing expenses decreased 1.8% to $2.7 million
for the three month period in 1997 and 4.7% to $7.4 million for the
nine months period.  Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage
of net sales were 30.0% and 33.3% for the three and nine month
periods in 1997 as compared to 36.3% and 40.4% for the same periods
in 1996.  The decrease in the percent to sales, for the three and
nine month periods of 1997, is a function of increased sales along
with the reclassification of certain expenses to General and
Administrative that were considered Sales and Marketing in 1996.

     Research and development costs, including the costs that were
capitalized, were $2.0 million and $1.7 million for the three month
periods in 1997 and 1996, $5.7 million and $5.3 million for the
nine month periods, respectively and represented 22.7%, 22.5%,
25.7% and 27.7% of net sales.  Research and development expenses,
net of capitalized development costs, represented 12.5% and 11.3%
of net sales for the three month periods in 1997 and 1996, and
14.1% and 12.9% of net sales for the nine month periods ending
September 30, 1997 and 1996, respectively.  The Company anticipates
that its investments in new product research will remain at
comparable levels as Tripos continues development in web-based
tools, desktop, diverse compound libraries and combinatorial
chemistry markets.

     General and administrative expenses increased to $0.9 million
for the third quarter of 1997 compared to $0.7 million in 1996, and
represent 9.8% and 9.6% of net sales for the respective periods.
For the nine month period, G & A expenses were $2.0 million and
$1.5 million in 1997 and 1996, respectively.  G&A year-to-date
percent to net sales was 9.1% in 1997 and 7.7% in 1996.  The
increase in G&A for the third quarter versus 1996 is a result of
the reclassification of certain expenses that were considered Sales
and Marketing expenses in 1996 and an increase in the reserve for
bad debt.

     Other income increased from of $47,000 for the third quarter
in 1996 to $164,000 for the comparable period in 1997.  For the
first nine months of 1997, other income was $430,000 compared to
$174,000 in 1996.  This change was due to an increase in foreign
currency translation gains and increase in interest income on
investments.

     Income tax expense was $856,000 for the nine month period in
1997 which represents an effective tax rate of 38% compared to
$302,000 and 26% for the same period in 1996.  The rates reflect
the change in valuation of the Company's prior losses, including
foreign subsidiary losses.  The Company's effective tax rate for
the nine months ended September 30, 1997 reflects an increase to
approximate the expected effective tax rate for the year ending
December 31, 1997.


Liquidity, Capital Resources and Capital Commitments

     For the nine month period ending September 30, 1997, net cash
provided by operations was $3.2 million as a result of net income
of $1.4 million, depreciation and amortization of $2.7 million and
an increase in deferred revenue of $0.8 million offset by an
increase in accounts and notes receivable of $1.4 million and other
assets of $0.3 million.  Amortization of $1.8 million is
attributable to the cost of manufacturing the compound library.
For the same period in 1996, net cash provided by operations was
$3.4 million as a result of a increase in working capital of $0.5
million and increases in net income, depreciation, and amortization
of $0.9 million, $0.5 million, and $2.2 million, respectively.

     Investments of $0.6 million in property and equipment and $2.6
million in capitalized development costs were partially offset by a
reduction of $1.0 million in marketable securities,  resulting in a
use of cash of approximately $2.5 million in the first three
quarters of 1997.

     The Company believes that current working capital of $9.5
million, together with continued cashflow from operations, will be
adequate to fund short-term liquidity requirements including
investments in research and development, capital purchases and any
other commitments in the upcoming year.  The Company may seek to
obtain additional financing at any time in connection with the
Company's product development efforts and its efforts to penetrate
existing and new markets for its products, depending upon the
associated working capital requirements.

                             PART II
                        OTHER INFORMATION
                                
Item 1.   Legal Proceedings

          The Company is not a party to any material litigation
          and is not aware of any threatened material litigation.

Item 2.   Changes in Securities

          None

Item 3.   Defaults upon Senior Securities

          None

Item 4.   Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

          None

Item 5.   Other Information

          None

Item 6.   Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

          (a)  List of Exhibits
               
               27   Financial Data Schedule

          (b)  No reports on Form 8-K were required to be filed
              during the period from June 30, 1997 to September
              30, 1997.


                          TRIPOS, INC.
                           SIGNATURES
                                
     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed
on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                              TRIPOS, INC.


Date:     November 6, 1997    John P. McAlister  /s/
                              John P. McAlister
                              President and
                              Chief Executive Officer


Date:     November 6, 1997    Colleen A. Martin  /s/
                              Colleen A. Martin
                              Chief Financial Officer, Secretary

                                
                         Exhibit  Index

Exhibit No.    Description

27        Financial Data Schedule