May 7, 2014 -- Euprotec Limited, the specialty life sciences and drug discovery CRO, has entered into an alliance with Cantab Anti-infectives as they seek to develop improved antibiotics to treat multidrug resistant Gram negative bacterial infections.
Euprotec will assist in accelerating Cantab’s drug development programme following its £2.3m funding award from the Technology Strategy Board’s Biomedical Catalyst. The goal of the programme is to develop improved therapeutics based on the polymyxin core. Polymyxins are an important class of antibiotics with a unique and important target and are currently viewed as a last resort when treating severe infections due to multidrug resistant Gram negative bacteria. The polymyxins have advanced little since they were developed over 50 years ago and this funding provides an important opportunity to generate a drug with an improved therapeutic index and lower propensity for development of resistance.
Euprotec will provide Cantab with its microbiology expertise and resources in order to facilitate the rapid identification and optimisation of a new drug candidate. The company will use its specialist biology platform combined with its highly characterised collection of bacteria in order to optimise the potency and efficacy of new compounds. The approach will allow profiling of PKPD parameters to permit translation of preclinical data to clinical trials.
Dr Lloyd Payne, chief executive of Euprotec said: “We are thrilled that Cantab has selected Euprotec as its infectious disease biology partner for this programme. Multidrug resistant Gram negative bacterial infections pose an enormous threat, and we look forward to working with Cantab to realise the exciting potential of their antibiotic platform.”
Dr Mike Dawson, chief executive of Cantab said: “We selected Euprotec as our primary biology partner for this programme due to its strong reputation for delivery in the infectious disease therapeutic area as well as the depth and breadth of their portfolio and expertise.
“The specialist knowledge and technical skills that Euprotec provides will supplement our in-house research team perfectly and we are looking forward to working with them as we progress our discovery and development programme.”
About Euprotec:
Euprotec is a specialty Contract Research Organisation (CRO) providing anti-infective drug discovery services. With a highly relevant and validated portfolio of assays and disease models, underpinned by internationally recognised expertise, the company supports each stage of client anti-infective drug discovery and development programs through to late stage preclinical investigation and clinical proof-of-concept studies.
Euprotec’s extensive collection of bacterial and fungal strains/clinical isolates underpins its comprehensive range of drug discovery services consisting of a full range of preclinical efficacy models of bacterial/fungal infection; PKPD profiling and modelling; susceptibility/MIC testing and in-depth characterisation of antimicrobial activity; mechanism of action determination and ADME/PK assays. Euprotec is based in Manchester (UK) operating out of state-of-the-art laboratory facilities. For further information please visit: www.euprotec.com or contact info@euprotec.com.
About Cantab:
Cantab Anti-infectives is focused on the discovery and development of novel antibacterial agents to treat bacterial infections. The product pipeline has been derived by optimising the therapeutic properties of peptide-derived antibiotics, including lantibiotics and non-ribosomal peptides. This has been achieved through a combination of molecular engineering at the genetic level together with medicinal chemistry to fully explore the structure-activity relationships of these agents. Cantab Anti-Infectives continues to explore new product opportunities both within its existing candidate series and from new agents with the potential to offer significant advantage over current therapies. For further information please visit: www.cantabanti.com.
About the Technology Strategy Board:
The Technology Strategy Board is the UK’s innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy. For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org.
Catalysts:
Catalysts are run jointly by the Technology Strategy Board and the Research Councils. A Catalyst is a form of research and development funding which focuses on a specific priority area and aims to help take projects from research to as close to commercial viability as possible. The Catalyst model supports projects in priority areas where the UK research base has a leading position and where there is a clear commercial potential. Current Catalysts include: Biomedical Catalyst, Agri-tech Catalyst and the Industrial Biotechnology Catalyst. For more details please visit: https://www.innovateuk.org/-/catalysts.
Help employers find you! Check out all the jobs and post your resume.
