Cyclacel
Encyclopedia
Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals Inc. ' onMouseout='HidePop("23472")' href="/topics/Biotechnology">biotechnology
firm based in Dundee
, Scotland
and Short Hills, New Jersey
developing cancer
drugs and treatments. Cyclacel was founded in 1996 by Professor David Lane, Merlin Ventures and Cancer Research Campaign Technology with the University of Dundee
and the University of Glasgow
.
Major shareholders include Magnetar Financial, Deerfield Management, Baker Brothers Advisors and the Federated Kaufmann Fund.
The firm is dedicated to developing "mechanism-targeted drugs" to help in the fight of cancer, and other serious illness, such as diabetes and HIV
.
of University of Dundee
to capitalise on his discovery of the P53 gene, also known as the "tumour-suppressor" gene. Professor Lane later left Cyclacel to take up a 2 year sabbatical post as executive director of Singapore’s A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology.
In 1997, Cyclacel started work in a small Dundee lab. After an investment of £4million from Brian Souter
and Anne Gloag the company acquired larger, custom-built premises in 2000. The £2.7million facility was officially opened by the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair
on 22 February 2002.
control biology and rational drug design chemistry, it is hoped new effective drugs can be discovered.
is Cyclacel's main drug project, and this drug is currently in Phase IIb clinical trials as a third line treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Seliciclib is a cyclin-dependent kinase
(CDK) inhibitor that is believed to cause cancer cell death. One of the few oral treatments for cancer, the drug is convenient, cost effective and potentially effective.
Development.
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
firm based in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Short Hills, New Jersey
Short Hills, New Jersey
Short Hills is an unincorporated area located within the township of Millburn, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a popular commuter town for residents who work in New York City...
developing cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
drugs and treatments. Cyclacel was founded in 1996 by Professor David Lane, Merlin Ventures and Cancer Research Campaign Technology with the University of Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
and the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
.
Major shareholders include Magnetar Financial, Deerfield Management, Baker Brothers Advisors and the Federated Kaufmann Fund.
The firm is dedicated to developing "mechanism-targeted drugs" to help in the fight of cancer, and other serious illness, such as diabetes and HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
.
Beginnings
Cyclacel is a spin-off company, founded by Professor Sir David LaneDavid P. Lane
Sir David Philip Lane FRS, FRSE FRCPath is a British oncologist. He is best known for his work on the p53 tumour suppressor protein. Besides his position at the University of Dundee, he also founded the Cyclacel biotechnology company and is the Chief Scientist of Cancer Research UK.He was made a...
of University of Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
to capitalise on his discovery of the P53 gene, also known as the "tumour-suppressor" gene. Professor Lane later left Cyclacel to take up a 2 year sabbatical post as executive director of Singapore’s A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology.
In 1997, Cyclacel started work in a small Dundee lab. After an investment of £4million from Brian Souter
Brian Souter
Sir Brian Souter , is a Scottish businessman. He is the co-founder of the Stagecoach Group, along with his sister, Ann Gloag. He is also widely known for his controversial public statements and for his attempt to keep Section 28 in law, which led to widespread accusations of homophobia...
and Anne Gloag the company acquired larger, custom-built premises in 2000. The £2.7million facility was officially opened by the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
on 22 February 2002.
Expansion
After becoming the first European spin-out company to raise over $100 million in private equity, the company had to pull out of a stock market listing in July 2004. Cyclacel completed a reverse merger with Xcyte Therapies in December 2005 to acquire Nasdaq listing. This allowed Cyclacel to take advantage of its adopted Nasdaq listing by raising an additional $45 million in April 2006 through a private placement of stock and warrants.Cancer Treatment
The company is developing new and innovative therapeutic treatments for cancer and other serious diseases. By gaining insights into cell cycleCell cycle
The cell cycle, or cell-division cycle, is the series of events that takes place in a cell leading to its division and duplication . In cells without a nucleus , the cell cycle occurs via a process termed binary fission...
control biology and rational drug design chemistry, it is hoped new effective drugs can be discovered.
Seliciclib
SeliciclibSeliciclib
R-roscovitine is a trial drug in the family of pharmacological cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors that preferentially inhibit multiple enzyme targets including CDK2, CDK7 and CDK9, which alter the growth phase or state within the cell cycle of treated cells...
is Cyclacel's main drug project, and this drug is currently in Phase IIb clinical trials as a third line treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Seliciclib is a cyclin-dependent kinase
Cyclin-dependent kinase
thumb|350px|Schematic of the cell cycle. outer ring: I=[[Interphase]], M=[[Mitosis]]; inner ring: M=Mitosis; G1=[[G1 phase|Gap phase 1]]; S=[[S phase|Synthesis]]; G2=[[G2 phase|Gap phase 2]]...
(CDK) inhibitor that is believed to cause cancer cell death. One of the few oral treatments for cancer, the drug is convenient, cost effective and potentially effective.
Sapacitabine
This is an orally available nucleoside analogue, which is currently undergoing Phase II trials in patients with advanced leukemias and lymphomas.Staff
- Spiro Rombotis, President and Chief Executive Officer.
- Paul McBarron, Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Operating Officer.
- Judy Chiao, Vice President, Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs.
- Gill Christie, Director, Human Resources.
- Susan Davis, Associate Director, Business Development.
- Professor David Glover, FRSE, Chief Scientist, Polgen.
Development.