Sygnature Discovery and Pneumolabs to collaborate
With the aim of advancing respiratory focused drug discovery programmes
Sygnature Discovery, a UK provider of integrated drug discovery services, has agreed a pact with contract research company Pneumolabs (UK), to provide a fully integrated drug discovery service to pharmaceutical clients.
The new collaboration complements Sygnature’s existing strategic alliances with Cyprotex Discovery and Saretius.
Pneumolabs has been working with Sygnature for three years on a successful respiratory programme, which has generated four candidate drugs.
Chief executive Dr Phillip Gardiner said the new alliance combines the complementary skills of the two firms: Pneumolabs offers respiratory disease-focused pre-clinical research services, while Sygnature is known for medicinal chemistry driven integrated drug discovery.
‘Pneumolabs will continue to provide pre-clinical services independently, but will also be able to contribute to fully integrated drug discovery programmes through Sygnature’s ‘federated’ CRO model,’ he said.
Commenting on the new alliance, Dr Simon Hirst, Sygnature’s ceo, said: ‘The close working relationship that we have already established with Pneumolabs will be cemented through this new strategic alliance. It enables Sygnature Discovery to offer its customers a world class, respiratory disease-focused integrated drug discovery service where novel compounds can be designed, synthesised and screened in vitro at Sygnature, assessed at Cyprotex for their metabolic liability and toxicity, and tested at Pneumolabs in pharmocodynamic and disease-relevant in vivo models. This powerful combination of alliance partners will help advance our clients’ respiratory-focused drug discovery programmes towards development more efficiently.’
