Project Completes with Release of Drug Discovery Platform


The partnership behind the Innovate UK funded DeepADMET project, has successfully developed a software platform that will support the design of new drug candidates. In collaboration with global pharma and biotech companies, the consortium- software developer Optibrium, AI company Intelligens and the UK’s Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) - demonstrated the ability of its new AI


platform, Cerella™, to identify compounds with improved ‘on target’ properties more effi ciently and was proven to reduce costs and shorten discovery cycle times.


Matthew Segall, CEO at Optibrium said: “We appreciate the support received from Innovate UK, enabling us to advance the development of our AI platform, Cerella. As proven by several case studies, Cerella fi lls a critical need in modern drug discovery, with collaborators’ research and development teams eager to exploit its capacity to accelerate their discovery of novel breakthrough treatments. We are grateful for Innovate UK’s initiatives that enable collaborations like ours, and will continue to work with Intellegens and MDC to further the UK’s role in drug discovery.”


Ben Pellegrini, CEO at Intellegens: “This project represents a signifi cant step forward for Intellegens. Through this collaborative project, we have validated the underlying science with some of the biggest pharma companies in the world, and more importantly, wrapped it up in a robust, deployable platform. We look forward to building on this technology and continuing our collaboration with Optibrium.”


Matthew Segall


John P. Overington, Chief Informatics Offi cer at Medicines Discovery Catapult: “The power that comes from discovering and preparing the data needed for medicines research cannot be overstated. This project is unequivocal in its demonstration of how quality data can


John Overington


Ben Pellegrini


refi ne, direct and expedite drug discovery, resulting in faster and fl exible routes to the clinic while minimising overall project costs.


“It has been an extremely rewarding venture working with Optibrium and Intellegens during this project; a collaboration which will enable a more streamlined and effi cient approach to drug discovery and be able to see future applications in other key business areas.”


54171pr@reply-direct.com


Anniversary Celebrates Progression to next-level Platform


Drug discovery technology company Arctoris celebrated its fi fth


anniversary during February, having grown from a technology startup to a globally operating company delivering integrated projects from its headquarters in Oxford and its Asia-Pacifi c hub in Singapore. During the celebrations, where the company unveiled its next-generation robotic platform Ulysses, CEO Dr Martin-Immanuel Bittner said: “The drug discovery ecosystem is evolving rapidly and the key to success is having access to the right data at the right time, to progress the right projects towards the clinic. Arctoris plays an important role in enabling true data-driven drug discovery globally, by generating the data that powers decisions in biotech and pharma companies on three continents.”


Company COO Tom Fleming, added “Drug discovery is undergoing a rapid digital metamorphosis and Ulysses plays a central catalytic role in that transformation. This success is the result of our amazing team’s dedication and hard work over these past fi ve years, combined with guidance from experienced and insightful advisors and board members. We are looking forward to the next fi ve years, which will see even greater change and accelerated growth, toward a future where treatments and cures can be generated at a fraction of the time and cost and we are privileged to play our role in building that future.”


Having strengthened its team over the past few years with several high-profi le hires and Advisory Board appointments, the company has recently announced partnerships with Insilico Medicine and Syntekabio, while further expanding its operations globally.


54444pr@reply-direct.com


Appointment Leads to Expanded Leadership Support


Scientific informatics software and services company Dotmatics has appointed Matt Burnett as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) as part of the senior management team taking ownership of the company’s technical roadmap, global cloud and IT operations and technology execution. Matt will report to Dotmatics former CTO and co-founder, Alastair Hill, who has assumed the new role of Chief Information Officer (CIO).


Matt has 25 years’ experience as a CTO across diverse industries and sectors and founded web and mobile content solutions company EIBS. Following its acquisition in 2014, Matt became CTO of buy-out company Ideagen Group, where he was responsible for product vision, technology and alliances, growing his technology team from 30 to 140 over a 3-year tenure. Matt joins Dotmatics from Commify, one of Europe’s largest mobile business messaging companies, where he had been CTO since 2017 supporting 45,000 companies to communicate with their customers and staff.


Matt Burnett


CIO Alastair Hill commented: “Not only does Matt have a wealth of CTO experience and a track record in driving technological innovation, but his cross-sector experience will also bring new perspective to our technology and operations. I have no doubt that Matt will make a fantastic addition to the senior management team and look forward to seeing him make an impact within the organisation, also


with our customers, as I transition to my new role as CIO.”


Matt Burnett, Chief Technology Officer, Dotmatics, added: “On my technology journey I have always looked for challenges that will make a difference to people’s lives and so I feel very fortunate to have joined Dotmatics – accelerating research and innovation. I look forward to working with the exceptional talent at Dotmatics, helping to change our world for the better.”


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/Pa9e 54173pr@reply-direct.com Investment Boosts ADC Therapeutics Development


University of Cambridge spin-out Spirea has secured fi nancing from lead o2h Ventures and Syndicate Room that will be used to enable Spirea’s Antibody Drug Conjugate therapeutic programmes ahead of a signifi cant Seed fi nancing anticipated in 2021. The Company also announced the successful in vivo validation of the platform in proof-of-concept studies using a cancer xenograft model.


Sunil Shah


Dr Myriam Ouberai, CEO of Spirea, commented: “We have now demonstrated that our ADC technology performs extremely well in vivo. The funding and support from o2h Ventures and Syndicate Room serve as an endorsement of our approach and will allow


us to start building a pipeline of exciting therapeutic products based on our validated technology.”


Sunil Shah, CEO at o2h Ventures, said: “Spirea’s potentially transformative approach to addressing the common obstacles faced in ADC development has the potential to disrupt this field entirely, placing the Company in a unique position to address a very significant market opportunity. This is an exciting time for Spirea and we are pleased to be supporting them.”


Spirea has previously received investment from Jonathan Milner, Start Codon, Innovate UK, IP Group and Cambridge Enterprise and is supported by a


number of successful, high-profi le board members from the life sciences including Jane Dancer (former Chief Business Offi cer at F-star), Gaynor Fryers (former Vice-President of Business Development at AstraZeneca) and Christine Martin (Deputy Head of Seed Funds at Cambridge Enterprise). Spirea benefi ts from being part of the healthcare business accelerator Start Codon and the Cambridge Judge Business School Entrepreneurship Centre’s Accelerator, Accelerate Cambridge.


Further information online: ilmt.co/PL/XRGL 54174pr@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