cypralis

Identification of synthetic, macrocyclic, orally bioavailable cyclophilin inhibitors with potent HCV activity, published in The Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 13:57:45 GMT

Discovery follows successful collaboration between Selcia, Cypralis and Gilead Sciences

Cambridge, UK, 17th September 2018 / A paper entitled ‘Discovery of a Potent and Orally Bioavailable Cyclophilin Inhibitor Derived from the Sanglifehrin Macrocycle’ by authors from Selcia , Cypralis and Gilead has been selected as a featured article by the editors of The Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

The authors describe the identification of synthetic, macrocyclic, orally bioavailable cyclophilin inhibitors with potent HCV activity. These compounds also provide starting points for drug discovery programmes in several other major diseases where there is a high level of existing unmet need. This new class of macrocyclic cyclophilin inhibitors, designated as the “cyprolide” family, are highly potent, non-immunosuppressive, have low molecular weight and favourable drug properties. Currently, the only marketed cyclophilin inhibitor is cyclosporin A which causes immune-suppression via its interaction with calcineurin.

Cypralis span out from Selcia in 2013 and wholly owns or has exclusive rights to over 2,000 cyclophilin inhibitors, representing one of the largest libraries of rationally designed cyclophilin inhibitors in the world. In January 2018, Gilead exclusively licensed to Cypralis the development and commercialization rights to certain cyclophilin inhibitors arising from the Gilead/Selcia collaboration, in all fields except for oncology and virology.

Mike Peel Ph.D, Chief Scientific Officer at Cypralis, said: “Natural products often deliver attractive phenotypical responses that are difficult to reproduce with conventional ‘small molecules’, but their development can be challenging due to poor drug-like properties or raw material availability. The publication outlines the successful simplification of a very complex natural product lead, using structure-based design, to deliver compounds that retain the phenotypical responses of the natural product but are completely synthetic and have dramatically improved drug-like features including oral bio-availability, absence of drug interaction potential, and the ability to synthesize on a multi-kilogram scale. Cypralis is developing its first-in-class, non-immunosuppressive cyclophilin inhibitors as new therapies for degenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease and fibrosis.”

Vicky Steadman Ph.D, Director of Discovery at Selcia, said: “Selcia, now part of the Eurofins Group, has a strong track record in Integrated Drug Discovery. The expertise of our predominantly ex-Big Pharma team had a significant impact from the outset on the successful completion of this project, in partnership with Gilead’s anti-viral research group. Following the completion of the HCV project with Gilead, Selcia is pleased to be continuing its collaboration with Cypralis to further explore the utility of cyprolides as potential clinical candidates in other disease areas.”

Ends

For further information, contact:

Cypralis
Simon Kerr, CEO
E: simon.kerr@cypralis.com
T: +44 (0)1223 496 000

Selcia
Vicky Steadman, Director of Discovery
E: Vicky.steadman@selcia.com
T: +44 (0)1277 367042

Sciad Communications, Media Relations
Deborah Cockerill / Juliette Craggs / Emma Pickup
E: cypralis@sciad.com
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801

Notes for Editors

About Cypralis

The compounds described in the The Journal of Medicinal Chemistry paper are examples of a new class of fully synthetic cyclophilin inhibitors that Cypralis has designated as ‘cyprolides’. They are highly potent, non-immunosuppressive, low molecular weight cyclophilin inhibitors with excellent drug properties. These compounds are potent inhibitors of cyclophilin D and protect against opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. This property leads to protection of cells and tissues associated with several diseases such as neurodegeneration, fibrosis and other mitochondrially-mediated diseases.

Cypralis is dedicated to the development of innovative cyclophilin inhibitors and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies.

For further information visit http://www.cypralis.com

About Selcia

Selcia Ltd is a UK-based provider of integrated drug discovery services with a worldwide client base. Founded in 2001, its workforce comprises industry experienced medicinal chemists, biologists and ADME scientists as well as 14C radiolabeling experts. Selcia announced its acquisition by Eurofins earlier this year.

For further information visit: http://selcia.com

About Eurofins

Eurofins – a global leader in bio-analysis Eurofins Scientific through its subsidiaries (hereinafter sometimes “Eurofins” or “the Group”) believes it is a scientific leader in food, environment and pharmaceutical products testing and in agroscience CRO services. It is also one of the independent market leaders in certain testing and laboratory services for genomics, discovery pharmacology, forensics, CDMO, advanced material sciences and for supporting clinical studies. In addition, Eurofins is one of the emerging players in specialty clinical diagnostic testing in Europe and the USA. With over 38,000 staff in more than 400 laboratories across 44 countries, Eurofins offers a portfolio of over 150,000 analytical methods for evaluating the safety, identity, composition, authenticity, origin and purity of biological substances and products, as well as for innovative clinical diagnostic. The Group objective is to provide its customers with high-quality services, accurate results on time and expert advice by its highly qualified staff.

Eurofins is committed to pursuing its dynamic growth strategy by expanding both its technology portfolio and its geographic reach. Through R&D and acquisitions, the Group draws on the latest developments in the field of biotechnology and analytical chemistry to offer its clients unique analytical solutions and the most comprehensive range of testing methods.

As one of the most innovative and quality oriented international players in its industry, Eurofins is ideally positioned to support its clients’ increasingly stringent quality and safety standards and the expanding demands of regulatory authorities around the world.

The shares of Eurofins Scientific are listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN FR0000038259, Reuters EUFI.PA, Bloomberg ERF FP).

For further information visit: http://eurofins.com

Cypralis CEO presents to prospective investors at this year's Biotech and Money World Congress

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 14:59:04 GMT

Earlier this month Cypralis attended the Biotech and Money World Congress, a two-day event of workshops, discussions, and presentations to prospective investors. Whilst there Simon Kerr, Cypralis CEO, presented to investors and fellow biotech professionals as part of the Investable stream.

Cypralis has previously raised £4M investment and is looking for a further £8M in 2018 to continue research into novel, selective cyclophilin inhibitors. This would lead to the development of a series of clinical candidates for fibrosis, neurodegeneration and IO applications from the current library of >1800 novel drug-like inhibitors, exhibiting sub-type selectivity and excellent PK properties. Simon discussed the combined strategy of in house development and external partnerships, and future investment plans for Cypralis.

Watch Simon's full presentation below.

Cypralis and Gilead Sciences, Inc. agree on license terms under which Cypralis will hold exclusive development and commercialization rights to certain jointly-owned ‘cyprolides’ for acute and chronic

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 15:00:49 GMT

Cambridge, UK, 8th January 2017 / Sciad Newswire / Cypralis and Gilead Sciences, Inc. (“Gilead”) have agreed that Cypralis will have exclusive development and commercialization rights to certain macrocyclic inhibitors of peptide bond isomerases, in all fields except for oncology and virology. This is a further step in the collaboration between the parties which follows a multi-year drug discovery collaboration between Selcia Ltd (Ongar, Essex) and Gilead (Foster City, California) under which Selcia’s chemists and biologists provided integrated drug discovery services to support Gilead’s liver disease research programmes. The research phase ended in 2013 and Selcia’s rights under the agreement have been subsequently transferred to Cypralis.

During the research collaboration, Selcia and Gilead generated four jointly owned patents and two pre-clinical candidates.

Simon Kerr (CEO, Cypralis) commented: “Cyprolides are a new class of fully synthetic cyclophilin inhibitors that are potent inhibitors of cyclophilin D and protect against opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore. This property leads to protection of cells and tissues associated with several diseases such as neurodegeneration, fibrosis and other mitochondrially-mediated diseases. By focusing upon acute and chronic degenerative diseases, we aim to exploit the properties of this new class of compound in areas outside of oncology and virology.”

Ends

For further information, contact:

Cypralis
Simon Kerr, CEO
E: simon.kerr@cypralis.com
T: +44 (0)1223 496 000

Sciad Communications, Media Relations
Deborah Cockerill / Emma Pickup
E: cypralis@sciad.com
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801

Notes for Editors

About Cypralis

Cypralis is a company focusing on discovering and developing novel medicines for acute and chronic degenerative diseases. It was spun out from Selcia Ltd (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets. Cypralis is dedicated to the development of innovative cyclophilin inhibitors and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit http://www.cypralis.com

Cypralis to present pre-clinical data on novel cyclophilin D inhibitor CC-1233 for acute pancreatitis at the American Pancreatic Association meeting

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 15:06:19 GMT

Cambridge, UK, 9th November 2017 / Cypralis , in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, will present in-vitro and in-vivo data obtained using novel cyclophilin inhibitor CC-1233 in models of acute pancreatitis at the American Pancreatic Association annual meeting in San Diego (Nov. 8-11th, 2017). CC-1233 is a potent inhibitor of cyclophilin D that maintains mitochondrial integrity to reduce necrotic death of pancreatic acinar cells, and is the lead programme from Cypralis’ cyclophilin inhibitor platform. Studies performed in collaboration with Professor Robert Sutton (University of Liverpool) showed that the compound can protect murine and human pancreatic acinar cells from toxic insults associated with acute pancreatitis, and is highly effective in protecting the pancreas in mouse models of the disease.

Simon Kerr (CEO, Cypralis) commented: “CC-1233 is the first pre-clinical compound to emerge from our cyclophilin inhibitor platform and we are planning to advance the compound into IND/CTA enabling studies early in 2018. We believe that clinical success for CC-1233 in acute pancreatitis would not only offer a first disease-modifying treatment for this disease, but also validate cyclophilin D inhibition as an approach to both acute and chronic degenerative diseases.”

Professor Robert Sutton (Lead, Liverpool Pancreatitis Research Group, University of Liverpool) commented: “Acute pancreatitis remains a very serious disease with no adequate treatment options. Our research using cellular and animal models of acute pancreatitis identified cyclophilin D inhibition as a new approach to block the underlying mechanism of disease progression. Studies at Liverpool have demonstrated that CC-1233 has the potential to significantly improve the outcome for patients with acute pancreatitis.”

Ends

For further information, contact:

Cypralis
Simon Kerr, CEO
E: simon.kerr@cypralis.com
T: +44 (0)1223 496 000

Sciad Communications, Media Relations
Deborah Cockerill, Managing Partner
E: Deborah@sciad.com
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801

Notes for Editors

About Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is an extremely painful disease that is most often associated with gallstones, excessive alcohol intake and obesity and is currently treated in hospital with supportive therapy only. There are over 450,000 hospital admissions in total from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the USA every year, due to cases of acute pancreatitis. A significant number of patients with acute pancreatitis progress to life-threatening complications due to the pancreatic inflammation affecting other body organs. This inflammation is the result of cell death in the pancreas, which new experimental treatments have been shown to prevent in animal studies, human pancreatic cells and tissue. Cypralis has discovered new compounds that act on pancreatic cells to stop the disease from progressing. These compounds are being developed by Cypralis in collaboration with the University of Liverpool as the first disease-modifying treatments for acute pancreatitis.

About Cypralis

Cypralis is a company focusing on discovering and developing novel medicines for acute and chronic degenerative diseases. It was spun out from Selcia Ltd (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets. Cypralis is dedicated to the development of innovative therapeutics through inhibition of PPIases and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.cypralis.com

About the University of Liverpool

The University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research institutions with 81% of research rated world leading or internationally excellent. Liverpool is ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide and is a member of the Russell Group. For more information visit www.liverpool.ac.uk

Cypralis granted new Innovate UK feasibility stage award to develop cyclophilin inhibitors targeting fibrotic diseases

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 14:08:08 GMT

Cambridge, UK, 18th September 2017 / Cypralis , a life sciences company focused on the discovery of therapeutics for the modulation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIases), has been awarded new funding by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, under its BioMedical Catalyst competition.

Cypralis has previously been awarded two other grants from Innovate UK that have been used to identify and develop new cyclophilin inhibitors for targeting degenerative diseases such as pancreatitis. The new funding is to identify novel inhibitors of pancreatic fibrosis with potential applications in several other fibrotic diseases. During the new study, Cypralis and its collaborators at the University of Liverpool are seeking to discover new dual-activity inhibitors of cell death and fibrosis for the treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis. This activity profile would provide the first potential disease-modifying treatment for Chronic Pancreatitis. The feasibility study will run until July 2018.

Simon Kerr, CEO of Cypralis, commented, ‘It is gratifying to have been awarded a third Innovate UK grant and to be collaborating closely again with Professor Sutton’s team at the University of Liverpool, which is one of Europe’s leading centres in Pancreatology. Chronic Pancreatitis is an important unmet need in its own right, but compounds with the profile we are seeking may also have activity in other fibrotic diseases such as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). We look forward to generating some exciting results during the next 12 months or so.’

Professor Robert Sutton, Director of the NIHR Pancreas Biomedical Research Unit, commented, ‘Chronic Pancreatitis is a severely debilitating condition without any available drug treatment to slow or reverse the disease. We are pleased to be collaborating again with Cypralis to identify new compounds that could represent a major advance in treatment for Chronic Pancreatitis, and perhaps also for other inflammatory and degenerative conditions in the future.’

Ends

For further information, contact:

Cypralis
Simon Kerr, CEO
E: simon.kerr@cypralis.com
T: +44 (0)1277 367 020

Media Relations, Sciad Communications
Deborah Cockerill / Emma Pickup
E: Cypralis@sciad.com
T: 020 7470 8801

Notes to Editors

About Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic Pancreatitis is a severely painful inflammation of the pancreas that frequently requires admission to hospital and prevents normal life. Currently there is no drug treatment that affects the course of Chronic Pancreatitis and patients are typically treated only to alleviate their pain. As the disease progresses the pancreas undergoes degradation, along with fibrosis, which can lead to malnutrition, diabetes and an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. With a prevalence rate of 40-50/100,000, Chronic Pancreatitis affects over 120,000 subjects in the US, with more than 56,000 hospitalisations per year.

About Cypralis

Cypralis is a company focusing on discovering and developing novel medicines for acute and chronic degenerative diseases. It was spun out from Selcia Ltd (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets that include the cyclophilin family. Cypralis is dedicated to the development of innovative non-immunosuppressive cyclophilin inhibitors and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.cypralis.com

About the University of Liverpool

About Innovate UK

Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency. It works with people, companies and partner organisations to find and drive the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy. For further information visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk

Cypralis Limited Announces Grant Award from Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 15:13:22 GMT

Cambridge, UK, 1st March 2017 / Cypralis , a life sciences company focussed on the discovery of therapeutics for the modulation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIases), has been awarded funding of $524,000 by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF). The ADDF funding will augment the existing collaboration, facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, between Cypralis and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Janssen) which aims to develop new cyclophilin inhibitors for neurodegenerative diseases.

Cyclophilin inhibitors on the market or in development are non-selective between the four commonly screened cyclophilin isoforms A, B, C and D. Cypralis and Janssen are currently undertaking a joint research programme to generate a new class of CNS penetrant, selective inhibitors of cyclophilin D applicable to targeting degenerative diseases including CNS degeneration. The ADDF funding will enable Cypralis to extend ‘hit-to-lead’ medicinal chemistry and broaden its library of novel brain-penetrant cyclophilin inhibitors, whilst continuing to participate in the joint research programme with Janssen.

Dr Michael Peel, CSO of Cypralis, commented: ‘The ADDF funding opens an exciting pathway towards developing a novel class of cyclophilin D inhibitors for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s. Many previous publications have recognised the potential for cyclophilin D as a novel target for degenerative disease but no group has published on compounds which combine sub-type selectivity and brain penetration. If data from the ADDF funding is encouraging, Cypralis would expect to initiate a Lead Optimisation campaign in early 2018 with the goal of generating a novel pre-clinical candidate for this extremely challenging and devastating disease.’

Dr Howard Fillit, CSO of the ADDF, added: ‘With ADDF funding, Cypralis will use its extensive knowledge of cyclophilin inhibitors to explore their potential as a treatment for Alzheimer’s and other neurogenerative diseases. We are excited to support this first-in-class program.’

Ends

For further information, contact:

Cypralis
Simon Kerr, CEO
E: simon.kerr@cypralis.com
T: +44 (0)1277 367 020

Sciad Communications, Media Relations
Deborah Cockerill, Managing Partner
E: Deborah@sciad.com
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801

Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
Krishna Knabe, Director Communications
E: kknabe@alzdiscovery.org
T: +1.212.901.8019

Notes for Editors

About Cypralis

Cypralis was spun out from Selcia Limited (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets involved in many acute and chronic diseases. Cypralis is dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics through inhibition of PPIases and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.cypralis.com .

About the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation

Founded in 1998 by Leonard A. and Ronald S. Lauder, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is dedicated to rapidly accelerating the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer’s disease. The ADDF is the only public charity focused solely on funding the development of drugs for Alzheimer's, employing a venture philanthropy model to support research in academia and the biotechnology industry. Through the generosity of its donors, the ADDF has awarded $100 million to fund more than 500 Alzheimer’s drug discovery programs and clinical trials in 18 countries. To learn more about ADDF, please visit: www.alzdiscovery.org .

About Alzheimer’s disease

Approximately 850,000 people in the UK and 44 million worldwide are living with dementia, a condition caused by a group of neurodegenerative diseases of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common. In the US, it remains the only top 10 cause of death that cannot be prevented or even slowed. The cost to the global economies is huge and is estimated to represent £24 billion a year to the UK and $236 billion to the US, a significant proportion of this being borne by family and friends providing informal care. Because people are living longer, the number of people with dementia is increasing dramatically. Medicines available for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are ‘symptomatic’ and only provide relief for a limited period of time. There remains a desperate need for ‘disease modifying’ treatments, able to slow down the underlying progression of the disease.

Cypralis, Selcia and Gilead publish synthetic macrocyclic cyclophilin inhibitors inspired by natural product sanglifehrin A

Fri, 10 Feb 2017 15:15:12 GMT

Cambridge, UK, 10th February 2017 / Cypralis, with colleagues from Selcia and Gilead Sciences Inc., have published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry a novel strategy of structural simplification of a natural product to generate synthetically tractable cyclophilin inhibitors for the treatment of HCV.

Cyclophilin inhibitors on the market or in clinical trials are cyclosporin (a natural product) or cyclosporin derivatives; the generation of potent, drug-like molecules through chemical synthesis has been challenging. Cypralis’s collaboration with Selcia and Gilead delivered a set of synthetic macrocyclic cyclophilin inhibitors inspired by the core structure of the natural product sanglifehrin A.

The paper describes how novel macrocyclic non-immunosuppressive cyclophilin inhibitors, with high potency in both biochemical and antiviral assays were generated by employing structure based drug design, modern synthetic methods and deep understanding of the property profile required of a successful drug.

Mike Peel, CSO of Cypralis, said: ‘The discovery of completely synthetic and very potent cyclophilin inhibitors that fully reproduce the biology of a semi-synthetic natural product lead is a major breakthrough in this field. It opens up many new opportunities for Cypralis’ drug discovery programmes in conjunction with our colleagues at Selcia and Gilead.’

Vicky Steadman, Director of Discovery at Selcia, said: ‘This ambitious strategy was feasible due to the combination of expertise in peptidyl prolyl isomerase biology, medicinal and synthetic chemistry available at Selcia with the deep virology and structural biology knowledge and commitment to the project at Gilead.’

This approach of structural simplification of a natural product opens up multiple avenues for the generation of novel intellectual property, and has generated several patents that are jointly owned by Cypralis and Gilead.

Ends

For further information, contact:

Cypralis
Simon Kerr, CEO
E: simon.kerr@cypralis.com
T: +44 (0)1277 367 020

Sciad Communications, Media Relations
Deborah Cockerill, Managing Partner
E: Deborah@sciad.com
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801

Notes for Editors

About Cypralis

Cypralis is a company focusing on discovering and developing novel medicines for acute and chronic degenerative diseases. It was spun out from Selcia Ltd (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets. Cypralis is dedicated to the development of highly innovative therapeutics through inhibition of PPIases and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit http://www.cypralis.com

About Selcia

Selcia is a privately held contract research organisation providing integrated small molecule drug discovery with specialist expertise in the medicinal chemistry of macrocycles, including cyclic peptides, their simplification and optimisation for drug use together with a unique peptidyl prolyl isomerase (PPIase) inhibitor screening platform. Selcia is also a global leader in radiochemistry providing 14C GMP radiolabelled API for clinical trials and 14C custom radiolabelling for drug metabolism, dermal penetration and environmental fate studies. For further information visit http://www.selcia.com

Cypralis granted new Innovate UK early stage award to develop cyclophilin D inhibitors targeting degenerative diseases

Mon, 23 Jan 2017 15:18:51 GMT

Cambridge, UK, 23rd January 2017 / Cypralis , a life sciences company focused on the discovery of therapeutics for the modulation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIases), has successfully completed its Innovate UK feasibility award and has been awarded new funding by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, under its BioMedical Catalyst competition.

The feasibility study completed at the end of October 2016 was designed to generate new inhibitors of cyclophilin D that could be used for targeting degenerative diseases such as pancreatitis, ischaemias and CNS degeneration. During the feasibility study, Cypralis and collaborators at the University of Liverpool demonstrated that Cypralis’ cyclophilin inhibitors are highly protective against pancreatic cell death resulting from bile acids, one of the two main causes of acute pancreatitis. The early stage study starts in January 2017 and builds upon the successful outputs from the previous feasibility study.

The early stage study will be undertaken in collaboration with Professor Robert Sutton at the University of Liverpool and with sub-contractors including Selcia Ltd, Hypha Discovery Ltd and Aptuit. The study objective is to expand the body of pharmacological evidence supporting the role of cyclophilin inhibition in acute pancreatitis, as well as undertaking other pre-clinical studies.

Simon Kerr, CEO of Cypralis, commented:

‘This further support from Innovate UK will enable Cypralis to select and progress one of our potent cyclophilin inhibitors through early pre-clinical development and towards Clinical Trial Application filing during 2018. Existing data suggests that our compounds have significant potential for the treatment of acute pancreatitis, a serious disease for which there are no existing disease-modifying therapies. We are also delighted to be collaborating so closely with the University of Liverpool, which is one of Europe’s leading centres in Pancreatology.’

Professor Robert Sutton, Director of the NIHR Pancreas Biomedical Research Unit, commented:

‘The development of an effective drug for acute pancreatitis would have a transformational impact on the management of this common and serious disease for which there are currently no specific therapies. Our work at the University of Liverpool has demonstrated that drugs which block cyclophilin D can prevent or reduce damage to the pancreas occurring during an episode of acute pancreatitis. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Cypralis to advance cyclophilin D inhibitors as a new therapy for acute pancreatitis.’

ENDS

For further information, contact:

Cypralis
Simon Kerr, CEO
E: simon.kerr@cypralis.com
T: +44 (0)1277 367 020

Sciad Communications, Media Relations
Deborah Cockerill, Managing Partner
E: Deborah@sciad.com
T: +44 (0)20 7470 8801

Notes for Editors

About Acute Pancreatitis

About Cypralis

Cypralis is a company focusing on discovering and developing novel medicines for acute and chronic degenerative diseases. It was spun out from Selcia Ltd (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets. Cypralis is dedicated to the development of highly innovative therapeutics through inhibition of PPIases and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.cypralis.com

About the University of Liverpool

About Innovate UK

Changing Shapes: From Proteins to Business Models

Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:25:49 GMT

Cypralis was spun out from parent company Selcia to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting a large family of protein targets involved in many acute and chronic diseases. We hear from Dr Hans Fliri, Chairman of Selcia and Cypralis and Simon Kerr, CEO at Cypralis, about the company and the importance of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases, known as PPIases.

Download the pdf to read the full article:

Cypralis Limited announces agreement with SCYNEXIS Inc. to acquire a large portfolio of cyclophilin inhibitor assets

Wed, 13 Jul 2016 14:28:10 GMT

Jul 13, 2016 / Cypralis, a life sciences company focussed on the discovery of novel therapeutics based on modulation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIases) has acquired a portfolio of cyclophilin inhibitor assets from SCYNEXIS Inc, a NASDAQ-listed company headquartered in New Jersey, USA.

The transaction involves the transfer of a large library of cyclophilin inhibitor compounds plus associated patents and know-how to Cypralis in return for milestone payments to Scynexis upon the successful progression of Cypralis clinical candidates into later stage clinical studies, and a royalty payable upon product commercialisation. The financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Simon Kerr, CEO of Cypralis commented: “Acquiring the Scynexis cyclosporin analogue library augments our existing assets in the cyclophilin inhibitor space. Cypralis now owns one of the largest and most structurally diverse libraries of cyclophilin inhibitors in the world, with associated IP and sub-type selective compounds in three distinct chemical families. This transaction will enable Cypralis to accelerate its progression towards the clinic, as the company seeks to develop novel, selective cyclophilin inhibitors that can offer new treatment options for serious diseases.”

ENDS

About Cypralis

Cypralis was spun out from Selcia Limited (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets involved in many acute and chronic diseases. Cypralis is dedicated to the discovery and development of highly innovative therapeutics through inhibition of PPIases and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.cypralis.com

Cyclophilins are a family of enzymes that assist in the folding and transportation of other proteins synthesized within a cell and play key roles in a number of important cellular functions including transcription, translation, apoptosis and kinase signaling. Cyclophilin D plays a pivotal role in controlling mitochondrial mediated programmed cell death, and Cypralis’ selective inhibitors of CypD offer potential for treatment of both acute and chronic degenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophies, and pancreatic inflammation. Further, secreted cyclophilins display chemotactic and cytokine-like activity, and compounds targeting the catalytic activity of extracellular cyclophilins show promise as treatments for disease states including vasculitis, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

About SCYNEXIS

SCYNEXIS is a pharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of novel anti-infectives to address significant unmet therapeutic needs. Scynexis is developing its lead product candidate, SCY-078, as an oral and IV drug for the treatment of serious and life-threatening invasive fungal infections. SCY-078 is a glucan synthase inhibitor in Phase 2 clinical development as an IV and oral treatment for fungal infections caused by Candida and Aspergillus species. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track, Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) and orphan drug designations (ODD) for the oral and IV formulations of SCY-078 for the indication of invasive candidiasis, and also granted Fast Track and QIDP designations of SCY-078 for the indication of invasive aspergillosis.

For more information, please contact:

Simon Kerr
CEO, Cypralis
contact@cypralis.com
Tel: +44(0)1277 367020

For media enquiries please contact:

Deborah Cockerill
SCIAD Communications
deborah@sciad.com
Tel: +44 (0)7930 317729

Cypralis Limited Announces Appointment of Dr Michael Peel as Chief Scientific Officer

Wed, 02 Mar 2016 15:30:27 GMT

Apr 04, 2022 / Cypralis, a life sciences company focussed on the discovery of novel therapeutics based on modulation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIases), has appointed Dr Michael Peel as Chief Scientific Officer. He joins from Scynexis Inc, where he was Director of Discovery and led Scynexis’ antifungal research collaboration that resulted in SCY-078 and their in-house cyclophilin inhibitor programs in virology, ophthalmology and immunology. Whilst at Scynexis, Mike opened several avenues into new biology and new potential applications for cyclophilin inhibition.

Dr Michael Peel is a medicinal chemist who undertook his PhD at Sheffield University in 1985. Following post-doctoral studies at Wayne State University (Detroit) he joined Glaxo Inc., based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina where he led several research projects in inflammation, cancer and virology, and played a key role in GSK’s kinase research effort throughout. He then joined Scynexis in 2002 where he was responsible for building the Scynexis chemistry service group and directing DMPK and biology for in-house research. He is a British national but has been based in the US for the last 30 years.

Simon Kerr, CEO of Cypralis commented: “It is terrific to have been able to attract a senior industry professional of Mike’s calibre to return from the US and re-enter what is now a vibrant UK biotech ecosystem. Mike’s deep expertise in the field of cyclophilin inhibition will be highly complementary to the existing strengths of the team.”

Michael Peel said: “I am excited to be joining the talented team at Cypralis, and I look forward to contributing to the development of novel, selective cyclophilin inhibitors that I believe can offer new treatment options for serious diseases.”

ENDS

About Cypralis

Cypralis was spun out from Selcia Limited (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets involved in many acute and chronic diseases. Cypralis is dedicated to the discovery and development of highly innovative therapeutics through inhibition of PPIases and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.cypralis.com

About SCYNEXIS

For more information, please contact:

Simon Kerr
CEO, Cypralis
contact@cypralis.com
Tel: +44(0)1277 367020

For media enquiries please contact:

Deborah Cockerill
SCIAD Communications
deborah@sciad.com
Tel: +44 (0)7930 317729

Neurodegenerative diseases: The potential of cyclophilin inhibition

Wed, 27 Jan 2016 15:33:31 GMT

Drug Target Review, 21 January 2016

Neurodegenerative diseases are defined as hereditary and sporadic conditions characterised by progressive nervous system dysfunction. These disorders are often associated with atrophy of the affected central or peripheral structures of the nervous system, affecting movement (ataxias) or mental functioning (dementias) and include diseases such as Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s Disease (PD), other dementias, degenerative nerve diseases, glaucoma, stroke, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington’s disease, muscular dystrophies, and others. Dementias are the greatest disease burden, with Alzheimer’s disease contributing approx. 60-70% of cases…

Cypralis Limited announces collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation in the field of neurodegenerative diseases

Mon, 07 Dec 2015 15:36:04 GMT

Apr 04, 2022 / Cypralis, a life sciences company focussed on the discovery of therapeutics for the modulation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIases), has entered into a collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. The collaboration, facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, aims to develop new cyclophilin inhibitors for neurodegenerative diseases. The terms were not disclosed.

Cyclophilin inhibitors on the market or in development are non-selective between the four commonly screened cyclophilin isoforms A, B, C and D. Cypralis and Janssen are undertaking a joint research program to generate a new class of CNS penetrant, selective inhibitors of cyclophilin D applicable to targeting degenerative diseases including CNS degeneration. The medicinal chemistry and PPIase screening will be sub-contracted to Selcia Limited.

Simon Kerr, CEO of Cypralis commented: ‘We are delighted to be collaborating with Janssen in order to develop a novel class of cyclophilin D inhibitors. We are hopeful that this effort will pave the way towards a new approach to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.’

ENDS

About Cypralis

Cypralis was spun out from Selcia Limited (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets involved in many acute and chronic diseases. Cypralis is dedicated to the discovery and development of highly innovative therapeutics through inhibition of PPIases and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.cypralis.com

About Alzheimer’s disease

Approximately 850,000 people in the UK and 44 million worldwide are living with dementia, a condition caused by a group of neurodegenerative diseases of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common, where people gradually lose memory and the ability to perform daily tasks or care for themselves. The cost to the global economies is huge and is estimated to represent £24 Billion a year to the UK alone, a significant proportion of this being borne by family and friends providing informal care. Because people are living longer the numbers of people with dementia is increasing dramatically. Medicines available for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are ‘symptomatic’ and only provide relief for a limited period of time. There remains a desperate need for ‘disease modifying’ treatments, able to slow down the underlying progression of the disease.

Media enquiries:

Andy Matthew
O2PR
andy.matthews@o2pr.co.u
Tel: +44 (0)7967 153753

All other enquiries:

Simon Kerr
CEO, Cypralis
contact@cypralis.co
Tel: +44 (0)1277 367000

Cypralis Announces Innovate UK Award to Generate Selective Cyclophilin D Inhibitors Targeting Degenerative Diseases

Mon, 02 Nov 2015 15:38:50 GMT

Apr 04, 2022 / Cypralis, a life sciences company focussed on the discovery of therapeutics for the modulation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIases), has been awarded funding by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.

Inhibitors of PPIase cyclophilin that are on the market are non-selective between the four commonly screened cyclophilin isoforms A, B, C and D. The objective of this feasibility study is to generate a new class of selective inhibitors of cyclophilin D applicable to targeting degenerative diseases such as pancreatitis, ischaemias and CNS degeneration.

Simon Kerr, CEO of Cypralis commented: ‘The project will be co-funded by Innovate UK and will enable Cypralis to further expand its base of subtype-selective cyclophilin inhibitors, which we expect to lead to novel medicines for a range of acute and chronic degenerative diseases. We are also delighted to be working closely with Selcia Ltd and The University of Liverpool on delivering this feasibility study.’

ENDS

About Cypralis

Cypralis was spun out from Selcia Limited (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets involved in many acute and chronic diseases. Cypralis is dedicated to the discovery and development of highly innovative therapeutics through inhibition of PPIases and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.cypralis.com

About Innovate UK

Innovate UK is the new name for the Technology Strategy Board – the UK’s innovation agency. Taking a new idea to market is a challenge. Innovate UK funds, supports and connects innovative businesses through a unique mix of people and programmes to accelerate sustainable economic growth.

For further information visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk

FEASIBILITY STUDIES:

‘Feasibility Studies’ are single-company or collaborative R&D grant schemes run by Innovate UK that allow businesses the opportunity to test an innovative idea and its feasibility to be developed and eventually taken to market. Feasibility studies are a way for companies to carry out exploratory studies which could lead to the development of new products, processes, models, experiences or services. The study could involve for instance investigating the technical feasibility of a new idea.

www.gov.uk/guidance/innovation-apply-for-a-funding-award#find-an-innovation-funding-programme

Media enquiries:

Andy Matthew
O2PR
andy.matthews@o2pr.co.u
Tel: +44 (0)7967 153753

All other enquiries:

Simon Kerr
CEO, Cypralis
contact@cypralis.co
Tel: +44 (0)1277 367000

Cypralis has launched to focus on developing novel medicines for degenerative diseases

Fri, 20 Mar 2015 15:40:06 GMT

Apr 04, 2022 / Cypralis Ltd has spun out from Selcia Ltd to focus on discovering and developing novel medicines for acute and chronic degenerative diseases. Cypralis is focused on the discovery and development of highly innovative therapeutics for the modulation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases known as PPIases, a large druggable family of protein targets involved in many acute and chronic diseases. Cypralis is seeking to establish collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotech companies to develop PPIase inhibitors for a number of degenerative diseases.