The latest Business updates from the science industry


by Heather Hobbs Call for New Antimicrobials to Target CF Lung Infections


Successful applicants can also access expert advice and practical support from managing partners Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), LifeArc and Cystic Fibrosis Trust.


CF affects over 162,000 people globally. While advances in drug treatment have transformed the experience of many people with the condition, they have not benefi ted everyone. There continues to be an urgent need to identify new therapies.


Beverly Isherwood, Paula Sommer and Catherine Kettleborough


Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Syndicate in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) has announced a £3 million Collaborative Discovery Programme for drug discovery innovators to accelerate the development of new treatments for people with CF.


Researchers in academia and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) worldwide are eligible to apply, with approximately fi ve projects receiving funding of up to £500,000 through medical research charity LifeArc. Applicants must address patients’ priorities for improving treatment set out in the CF AMR Syndicate’s recently-published Target Product Profi les for Antimicrobials


Dr Beverley Isherwood, Partnership Lead for Infectious Disease at Medicines Discovery Catapult, said: “The CF AMR Syndicate is a unique initiative that brings people with CF together with leading experts from across the industry, academia and clinical care to accelerate the translation of CF antimicrobials to the clinic. With this funding call, we aim to extend the impact of this patient-centred collective approach to contribute new promising antimicrobials for people who need them.”


Dr Catherine Kettleborough, LifeArc’s Chronic Respiratory Infection Translational Challenge Lead, said: “This funding call is part of LifeArc’s £100 million programme to accelerate scientifi c innovation for people living with CF and bronchiectasis. Working with MDC and Cystic Fibrosis Trust, this funding call aims to deliver new therapies to end the vicious cycle of infection, infl ammation and permanent


lung damage for people living with CF.”


Dr Paula Sommer, Head of Research at Cystic Fibrosis Trust, said: “People living with CF are particularly vulnerable to antimicrobial resistance. New antimicrobials that target infections caused by microbes commonly associated with lung infections in CF are urgently needed. We are delighted to announce this funding call aimed at stimulating new research and development into treatments with the potential to benefi t people with CF.”


The CF Syndicate in AMR is a cross-sector initiative that brings together leading experts in CF and AMR from industry, academia and the clinic with people with CF to accelerate the translation of CF antimicrobials to the clinic and bring new and effective treatment options to people with CF. The Syndicate was established in 2019 and is jointly managed by Medicines Discovery Catapult, Cystic Fibrosis Trust and LifeArc.


Expressions of interest now open on the CF AMR Syndicate website will close on 9 May 2023.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/JQQB 59988pr@reply-direct.com


Investment to Progress Newly Discovered Antibody Assets


The $3 million investment was received from new investors InnoSpark, AngelHub, Kadmos Capital and Tomorrow Scale, as well as existing investors, Tensor Ventures, Deep Science Ventures, Ed Parkinson and Development Bank of Wales (DBW).


Murat Tunaboylu, co-founder and CEO of Antiverse, said: “This is the most comprehensive validation of our platform thus far. While identifying antibodies to GPCRs has traditionally been a complex and time-intensive process requiring expensive specialist technology and training, we have demonstrated that Antiverse’s drug discovery platform can achieve this in a fraction of the time and cost. GPCRs are commercially interesting targets associated with various indications, and these antibodies offer a path to fi rst in vivo results and can potentially be our fi rst assets. I would like to thank our investors, this funding will enable us to continue to develop these assets in-house with our academic collaborators.”


Biotech Antiverse has successfully identifi ed functional antibody clusters targeting two G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), both displaying versatile binding profi les and nanomolar affi nity. Newly raised funding of $3 million (c £2.5 million) will allow further development, aiming to show the highest affi nity blocking function as an indication of their starting points as therapeutic assets.


The Cardiff-based company’s proprietary computational antibody drug discovery platform was used to identify a diverse set of binders to two structurally distinct GPCRs and following fl uorescence- activated cell sorting (FACS), 8 antibodies were identifi ed as human GPCR binders, seven of which were confi rmed as antagonists blocking GPCR activity.


As a class of cell membrane receptors, GPCRs play a crucial role in various physiological processes linking to several pathologies and diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular and psychiatric disorders. Despite these connections, very few biologic therapies have been developed for GPCRs, as they are notoriously challenging to generate antibodies against. With over 400 GPCRs linked to over 30 diseases and only two FDA-approved antibody therapeutics existing for this family of receptors, these assets have signifi cant potential for therapeutic applications.


Peter Pack, antibody engineer and NED at Antiverse, added: “Antiverse’s AI-powered methods to generate nanomolar binders against ‘diffi cult’ antigens such as GPCRs in silico is a gamechanger in the antibody discovery industry, the most important innovation since the invention of phage display. We will see large savings in cost and time in the discovery and development of antibodies.”


Matt Fates, a board member at Antiverse and partner at InnoSpark commented: “We see tremendous potential in the Antiverse platform. Their combination of AI-driven antibody design with proprietary laboratory validation shows great promise in targeting historically challenging GPCRs linked to cancer and a wide variety of other conditions. We congratulate the team on their achievement in the pursuit of bringing new treatments to patients.”


Antiverse recently moved from Cardiff University’s Meditech Centre to its new sbarcIspark building located nearby, having joined Cardiff Innovations.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/M85m 60020pr@reply-direct.com


Former Collaborative Agreement Lays


Pathway for Acquisition


Blackford Analysis Ltd, an imaging AI platform and solutions provider with a presence in the UK and US, has become a wholly owned subsidiary of pharma giant Bayer AG, following acquisition completion. Providing infrastructure and access to a rich clinical application ecosystem, the new subsidiary will continue to operate on an arm’s length basis, preserving its core entrepreneurial culture for nurturing successful innovation. Thus Blackford remains accountable to advance its technology, channel partnerships and ClinApp portfolio while benefi ting from the experience, infrastructure and reach of the global parent company.


Gerd Krüger, President Radiology, Bayer said that the acquisition marked an important step in implementing strategy to drive innovation in radiology: “Bayer is a leader in key radiology areas with a comprehensive portfolio and a deep medical understanding across a multitude of diseases. We are excited that we are now able to join forces with the exceptional Blackford team to use our combined expertise for the benefi t of patients and their treating physicians.”


The overall global medical imaging AI fi eld had sales worth more than USD 400 million in 2021, which was expected to continue growing dynamically, with an estimated compounded annual growth rate of more than 26% (2020 to 2026) reaching USD 1.36 billion by 2026. With demand for medical imaging growing, AI comes with the value proposition to aid diagnosis and increase the throughput of radiological examinations.


The acquisition of Blackford bolsters Bayer’s position in digital medical imaging and follows a development and license agreement between both companies in 2020 that laid the foundation for Bayer’s recently launched medical imaging platform, Calantic™ Digital Solutions. The collaboration with Bayer has its roots in 2019, when Blackford was among the selected start-ups of Bayer’s G4A Digital Health Partnerships Program that year.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/28X6 60028pr@reply-direct.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56