2007 Press Releases
UCC research team to lead programme for cancer drug development
15.08.2007
Professor Anita Maguire, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Director of the Analytical and Biological Chemistry Research Facilty (ABCRF) at UCC is to lead a research team for the development of a new cancer drug.
15.08.2007
Professor Anita Maguire, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Director of the Analytical and Biological Chemistry Research Facilty (ABCRF) at UCC is to lead a research team for the development of a new cancer drug.
The programme is being facilitiated by a grant from Enterprise Ireland of €362,000 which will enable the drug discovery company, EiRx Therapeutics plc to collaborate with Professor Maguire in establishing a medicinal chemistry team in Cork. The tie-up with Professor Maguire attracted funding through Enterprise Ireland's Innovation Partnership scheme. The grant provides for personnel, materials and overhead costs over two years and will be reinforced by EiRx with a further €139,000 in cash and dedicated personnel costs.
As a result of the collaboration, EiRx gains access to medicinal chemistry skills and facilities via employment of two fully-funded postdoctoral chemists within Professor Maguire's research group at the ABCRF. Professor Maguire will lead in the scientific management and leadership of the research programme, and EiRx will contribute a dedicated cancer biologist and management input. The collaboration will work on optimisation of tumour-selective pro-apoptotic molecules identified by EiRx's proprietary EnPADTM platform. Any optimised drug candidates resulting will then be advanced to formal preclinical and clinical evaluation.
The collaboration is expected to commence within weeks, and will focus on the most promising examples from EiRx's panel of molecules with proven selective biological activity against colon and breast cancer cell lines. The partners will work over a two year period on the optimisation of multiple compound series, from which preclinical leads will be selected in due course. Novel intellectual property generated by the collaboration will be jointly held by the partners. EiRx will assume responsibility for product development beyond the lead optimisation stage, and will pay success-based development milestones of up to €3M per new therapeutic candidate, plus royalties on sales, in return for exclusive, worldwide rights over UCC's stake in jointly held IP.
Commenting on the collaboration with the ABCRF, EiRx CEO, Dr Colin Telfer said: "Professor Anita Maguire is a scientist of the highest standing whose scientific input will help EiRx deliver next-generation cancer therapeutics to the clinic. We have been seeking access to medicinal chemistry and lead optimisation skills to advance EiRx's drug development programmes, and it is gratifying to have enlisted Professor Maguire's internationally recognised capabilities. Furthermore, we are delighted that our efforts have secured the financial backing of Enterprise Ireland. We see this initiative as the foundation stone of our own dedicated chemistry capability, which we plan to develop from our operational base in Cork."
Professor Anita Maguire said in response: "I welcome the opportunity of working with the scientists at EiRx on the development of their targeted anti-cancer compounds. The Company's EnPADTM programme is generating compounds with intriguing biological selectivity and apoptotic mechanism of action, and I am confident that this alliance with the ABCRF will support the development of these molecules towards clinical candidacy. The ABCRF was established to support such industry collaborations, and I am particularly pleased to welcome EiRx as one of the first Irish start-up companies to join our prestigious roster of multinational industrial partners.”
498MMcS
As a result of the collaboration, EiRx gains access to medicinal chemistry skills and facilities via employment of two fully-funded postdoctoral chemists within Professor Maguire's research group at the ABCRF. Professor Maguire will lead in the scientific management and leadership of the research programme, and EiRx will contribute a dedicated cancer biologist and management input. The collaboration will work on optimisation of tumour-selective pro-apoptotic molecules identified by EiRx's proprietary EnPADTM platform. Any optimised drug candidates resulting will then be advanced to formal preclinical and clinical evaluation.
The collaboration is expected to commence within weeks, and will focus on the most promising examples from EiRx's panel of molecules with proven selective biological activity against colon and breast cancer cell lines. The partners will work over a two year period on the optimisation of multiple compound series, from which preclinical leads will be selected in due course. Novel intellectual property generated by the collaboration will be jointly held by the partners. EiRx will assume responsibility for product development beyond the lead optimisation stage, and will pay success-based development milestones of up to €3M per new therapeutic candidate, plus royalties on sales, in return for exclusive, worldwide rights over UCC's stake in jointly held IP.
Commenting on the collaboration with the ABCRF, EiRx CEO, Dr Colin Telfer said: "Professor Anita Maguire is a scientist of the highest standing whose scientific input will help EiRx deliver next-generation cancer therapeutics to the clinic. We have been seeking access to medicinal chemistry and lead optimisation skills to advance EiRx's drug development programmes, and it is gratifying to have enlisted Professor Maguire's internationally recognised capabilities. Furthermore, we are delighted that our efforts have secured the financial backing of Enterprise Ireland. We see this initiative as the foundation stone of our own dedicated chemistry capability, which we plan to develop from our operational base in Cork."
Professor Anita Maguire said in response: "I welcome the opportunity of working with the scientists at EiRx on the development of their targeted anti-cancer compounds. The Company's EnPADTM programme is generating compounds with intriguing biological selectivity and apoptotic mechanism of action, and I am confident that this alliance with the ABCRF will support the development of these molecules towards clinical candidacy. The ABCRF was established to support such industry collaborations, and I am particularly pleased to welcome EiRx as one of the first Irish start-up companies to join our prestigious roster of multinational industrial partners.”
498MMcS