Cyclacel Appoints Prof. Robert Westwood as Head of Preclinical Development

DUNDEE - 8 September 2000 - Cyclacel Limited, the UK-based cancer therapeutics company, today announced the appointment of Professor Robert Westwood as Head of Preclinical Development. Professor Westwood is responsible among others for the management of Cyclacel's preclinical development programmes, analytical chemistry and standards, scale-up and formulation and co-ordinating the compilation of regulatory submissions to permit clinical trials in man (IND, CTX and equivalents) with emphasis on Chemistry Manufacturing and Control (CMC) requirements of such submissions.

Before Cyclacel Prof. Westwood, 57, was Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry at the University of Hull and Director of the Institute for Chemistry in Industry since 1996. He previously spent 25 years at Aventis Pharma (formerly Hoechst Marion Roussel) in the UK and France joining as senior organic chemist and rising to Director of Research for Hoechst Marion Roussel's UK subsidiary. Most recently he was Head of Immunology Research based in Paris. He was responsible for a collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and a member of the Scientific Committee for a collaboration with Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc., both of which are US rational drug design companies.

Spiro Rombotis, Cyclacel's Chief Executive, said: "Bob brings to Cyclacel valuable pharmaceutical development skills and experience. His arrival is timely as the Company's three discovery engines are generating a large number of potential drug candidates. His drug industry experience will be very valuable as we go about the task of systematically exploiting these simultaneous opportunities. Bob's prior record of managing biotechnology-pharmaceutical company interactions further enhances Cyclacel's strong management team and the prospect of future interactions with pharmaceutical companies."