Cyclacel and Synt:em Underline the Promise of Penetratin®

26 October 1998 - Cyclacel, the UK cancer therapeutics company, and Synt:em, the French computational drug discovery specialists, have jointly emphasised their optimism on potential advances employing Penetratin, a peptide drug delivery technology, developed by Dr Alain Prochiantz at the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) of Paris, France.

Penetratin is a 16-aminoacid peptide, which is part of the Antennapedia homeodomain protein, first identified in the Drosophila species. Its ability to rapidly penetrate the cell cytoplasm and nucleus without being degraded by serum and cytoplasmic defences appears not to require a chiral receptor. Penetratin's performance advantage over other carriers may lie in its rapid clearance from serum and efficient labelling of target cells. This efficiency and the absence of particular tissue specificity make Penetratin an attractive vehicle for delivering cancer therapeutics addressing metastatic disease.

Cyclacel has received from CNRS an exclusive worldwide licence covering cancer (co-exclusive in cancers of the central nervous system) and other therapeutic applications, including auto-immune, cardiovascular, dermatological and inflammatory diseases. Synt:em is funding a collaborative research programme at CNRS and has independently received an option to co-exclusively license Penetratin in cancers of the central nervous system. Cyclacel and Synt:em have separately determined that Penetratin is a unique carrier system compared to other experimental delivery systems disclosed in the literature. The programmes of both companies aim to exploit this potential in their respective therapeutic areas.

Synt:em further wishes to state that its collaborations in the area of cancer therapeutics employing Synt:em's Pep:Trans system, relate to intellectual property conceived and implemented wholly within Synt:em and not covered by the CNRS' and Dr. Prochiantz's priority patents (BF No. 90 06912 and BF No. 95 11714) or any related patent applications.

Cyclacel Limited is an emerging biotechnology company conducting "Cancer Research for the 21st Century". Cyclacel's world-leading scientific group is headed by Professor David Lane, one of the founders of the field of cell cycle research. The company's research programmes are converting insights in cell cycle control into novel treatments for common cancers. The objectives of Cyclacel's product portfolio are to develop Pimetic™ peptide-mimicking, cell cycle regulating drugs; small molecule cell cycle inhibitors and apoptosis-inducing agents; and intelligent targeting and delivery systems for cancer therapeutics using its Penetratin™ and Smart Genetic Constructs™ (SGC) technologies.

Synt:em specialises in the discovery of new therapeutic molecules using state-of-the-art tools in the field of structural biology, and molecular modelling and synthesis. Since it was founded in 1995, the company has focussed on two complementary technologies: 1. Identification of new therapeutic molecules by computational drug design, "In Silico Screening™", based on the information present in drug hit libraries is another focus of Synt:em. 2. Research and development on transporting therapeutic molecules into human cells. The Pep:Trans technology is an innovative approach to intracellular targeting. Therapeutic targets inside human cells are reached by activating cell membrane transportation of bioactive molecules. The company continues actively to seek partnerships with industry to extend the applicability of its technologies in various therapeutic areas.