TINTAGEL, UK (21 May 2009) – Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, announced today that Cancer Research Technology (CRT) has purchased 2,000 Maybridge Fragments as the foundation of its new fragment screening library. Wholly owned by the internationally renowned charity, Cancer Research UK, CRT is a specialist oncology-focused development and commercialisation company. Selected for its high quality, the Maybridge Fragment Collection will be used in CRT’s established discovery laboratories in London and Cambridge, for fragment-based screening, a key technology to accelerate the identification of drug leads against novel cancer targets.
“Having reviewed several vendor catalogues with a focus on fragment collections for a discrete selection of heterocyclic small molecules with suitable properties, we ultimately chose the Maybridge Fragment Collection due to its superior overall fit to our requirements,” explained Dr. Martin Swarbrick, Group Leader, Medicinal Chemistry, at CRT. “A good fit to ‘Rule-of-Three’ principles for physicochemical properties was essential, as well as lead-likeness and ‘drug-ability’.”
Other key features of the Maybridge Fragment collection that influenced the CRT selection process include its high compound purity and chemical diversity, which is supported by related synthons elsewhere in the Maybridge catalogue. The availability of related building blocks featuring the same fragments from Maybridge stock facilitates the rapid construction of a library around chosen core fragments for hit-to-lead work and further optimisation.
“Other factors in our decision to purchase the Maybridge Fragment selection were their immediate and reliable availability for prompt follow up work, as well as the favourable pricing,” added Swarbrick.
“We are very proud to have been selected by such an eminent cancer technology transfer company due to the quality, diversity and flexibility of our Fragment Collection,” said Dr.Mick Durrant, Director of Business Development for Maybridge products at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “We pride ourselves on our choice of off-the-shelf collections and the ability to pick from our carefully selected fragment lists. This enables our customers to create their own bespoke libraries, giving them both convenience and complete control over their fragment screening programmes to ultimately accelerate lead generation.”
The Maybridge Fragment collection is a convenient source of pre-selected, high quality building blocks which is a distillation of Maybridge’s combined expertise in heterocyclic compound design. Over 30,000 compounds have been assembled to form a pool from which researchers can build their own customised fragment libraries. This collection has been selected for purity, low molecular weight and absence of inappropriate functionality. All compounds are easily re-supplied and available custom weighed in mgs or µmols.
Many of the Maybridge Fragments are fully “Rule-of-Three” compliant, which means that the physicochemical properties of these fragments are optimal; therefore increasing the probability of future “hit” successes. Consequently, Maybridge Fragments provide an ideal starting point for a lead optimisation drug discovery programme and the ultimate evolution of a new molecule in the drug discovery process.
For further information, please visit www.maybridge.com
Maybridge is part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science.
About Maybridge
Maybridge, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, is well known for providing highly innovative drug-like molecules and screening compounds for drug discovery and development. With products available for both lab and development scale, they specialise in producing new heterocyclic and phenyl ring-based chemical building blocks, including a unique and expanding range of reactive intermediates. For more information about Maybridge brand products visit www.maybridge.com or call +44 18 40 77 05 67.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With annual revenues of $10.5 billion, we have approximately 34,000 employees and serve over 350,000 customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as environmental and industrial process control settings. Serving customers through two premier brands, Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, we help solve analytical challenges from routine testing to complex research and discovery. The Thermo Scientific brand represents a complete range of high-end analytical instruments as well as laboratory equipment, software, services, consumables and reagents to enable integrated laboratory workflow solutions. Fisher Scientific provides a complete portfolio of laboratory equipment, chemicals, supplies and services used in healthcare, scientific research, safety and education. Together, we offer the most convenient purchasing options to customers and continuously advance our technologies to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, enhance value for customers and fuel growth for shareholders and employees alike. Visit www.thermofisher.com.
About Cancer Research Technology
Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT) is a specialist commercialisation and development company, which aims to develop new discoveries in cancer research for the benefit of cancer patients. CRT works closely with leading international cancer scientists and their institutes to protect intellectual property arising from their research and to establish links with commercial partners. CRT facilitates the discovery, development and marketing of new cancer therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics and enabling technologies. CRT is wholly owned by Cancer Research UK, the largest independent funder of cancer research in the world.
About CRT’s Discovery Laboratories
CRT’s Discovery Laboratories are based in London, and Cambridge. The laboratories build on exploratory research to create attractive commercial opportunities through collaboration with research institutes worldwide. Therapeutic candidates are then out-licensed for further development following the identification of a suitable partner.
