Nottingham and Harrow, UK – Tuesday 15th May 2012 – Sygnature Discovery Limited, a leading provider of integrated drug discovery services to the pharmaceutical industry, and Pneumolabs (UK) Limited, a contract research company offering a range of pre-clinical research services focused on respiratory diseases, today announced they have entered into a strategic alliance. Under the terms of the agreement, Sygnature and Pneumolabs will collaborate to provide a fully-integrated drug discovery service to accelerate clients’ drug discovery programmes into development. This new alliance complements Sygnature’s existing strategic alliances with Cyprotex Discovery, a centre of excellence for in vitro ADME/toxicology, and Saretius, a pre-clinical experimental services company offering ‘gold standard’ techniques in pain, metabolic and CNS disorders, inflammatory disease and in vivo pharmacokinetics.
Dr Phillip Gardiner, CEO at Pneumolabs said, “We are pleased to have entered into a strategic alliance with Sygnature Discovery. Sygnature has established a reputation for quality science and an ability to generate real value for their clients’ drug discovery programmes. In addition, we have been collaborating with Sygnature for three years on a highly successful respiratory programme which has generated four candidate drugs, so we already have a well-established working relationship.. Our strategic alliance combines the complementary skills of Pneumolabs, a “centre of excellence” for respiratory disease-focused pre-clinical research services, and Sygnature, a “centre of excellence” for medicinal chemistry-driven integrated drug discovery. Pneumolabs will continue to provide pre-clinical services independently, but will also be able to contribute to fully-integrated drug discovery programmes through Sygnature’s “federated” CRO model. Working closely together on respiratory disease-focused discovery projects, we are confident that Pneumolabs and Sygnature can advance clients’ programmes more quickly and effectively.”
Commenting on the new strategic alliance, Dr Simon Hirst, Sygnature’s CEO said, “Pneumolabs has gained an excellent reputation as a contract research company which provides high quality pre-clinical research services focused on respiratory diseases. The senior management each has extensive experience of drug discovery and development gained at GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Bayer, Merck and Etiologics. They have initiated and led numerous projects which have successfully progressed compounds from early stage drug discovery into clinical development. The close working relationship that we have already established with Pneumolabs will be cemented through this new strategic alliance. It enables Sygnature Discovery to offer its customers a world class, respiratory disease-focused integrated drug discovery service where novel compounds can be designed, synthesised and screened in vitro at Sygnature, assessed at Cyprotex for their metabolic liability and toxicity, and tested at Pneumolabs in pharmocodynamic and disease-relevant in vivo models. This powerful combination of alliance partners will help advance our clients’ respiratory-focused drug discovery programmes towards development more efficiently.”
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Media Contact:
Louise Third, Integra Communications Ltd,
louise@integracommunications.co.uk, +44 (0)1159124350
Photography
High Resolution versions of the photos (Dr Simon Hirst, Sygnature Discovery, right : Dr Phillip Gardiner, Pneumolabs, left) are available from the media contact above.
About Sygnature Discovery
Sygnature Discovery is a leading UK-based provider of integrated drug discovery services. Founded in 2004, Sygnature employs over 50 laboratory-based medicinal chemists and bioscientists (in vitro biologists) in a modern, purpose-built facility in BioCity Nottingham. Most of these scientists have PhDs and many have 10-22 years drug discovery experience with companies such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Merck and OSI Pharmaceuticals. Sygnature’s industry-experienced team adds considerable value to clients’ discovery activities by undertaking complete drug discovery programmes and key elements of the drug discovery process, such as hit finding, hit-to-lead and lead optimisation. Sygnature’s scientists also provide significant intellectual input into clients’ projects; thereby generating novel intellectual property. Key areas of expertise include medicinal chemistry, bioscience, molecular modelling, ADME/toxicity (through a strategic alliance with Cyprotex Discovery) and pre-clinical experimental services (through a strategic alliances with Saretius and Pneumolabs). For more information, go to www.sygnaturediscovery.com .
About Pneumolabs
Pneumolabs, formed in 1997, is a contract research company offering a range of pre-clinical research services focused on respiratory diseases, such as asthma(steroid sensitive and resistant), COPD, RSV, nasal inflammation,non-specific lung disease and cough. A comprehensive range of tests/models are available for the evaluation of putative therapeutic agents. A group of preferred partners with immense expertise and success has been established to enable Pneumolabs to strengthen the depth of its pre-clinical test/model portfolio; this also enables the company to provide tests using human tissue/cells. Pneumolabs provides pre-clinical services to progress compounds from hit identification through to disease-relevant models of respiratory diseases. Pneumolabs’ greatest asset is its staff who have a wealth of experience gained in both the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; with over 200 scientific publications and numerous compounds reaching clinical evaluation. The company has recently moved to a new purpose-built suite of laboratories with all of the facilities required to support a quality pre-clinical research services company. For more information, go to www.pneumolabs.co.uk
Contacts:
| Dr Simon Hirst
Chief Executive Officer Sygnature Discovery Limited Email: info@sygnaturediscovery.com |
Dr Phillip Gardiner
Chief Executive Officer Pneumolabs (UK) Limited Email: enquiries@pneumolabs.co.uk |
© 2012 Sygnature Discovery Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sygnature Discovery Limited is a company incorporated in England, with company number 05210563, whose registered office and principal place of business is at BioCity, Pennyfoot Street, Nottingham, NG1 1GF, United Kingdom.