Cypralis Limited announces agreement with SCYNEXIS Inc. to acquire a large portfolio of cyclophilin inhibitor assets

Wed, 13/07/2016 - 15:00

Cambridge, UK, 13th July 2016 / Sciad Newswire / Cypralis, a life sciences company focussed on the discovery of novel therapeutics based on modulation of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (PPIases) has acquired a portfolio of cyclophilin inhibitor assets from SCYNEXIS Inc, a NASDAQ-listed company headquartered in New Jersey, USA.

The transaction involves the transfer of a large library of cyclophilin inhibitor compounds plus associated patents and know-how to Cypralis in return for milestone payments to Scynexis upon the successful progression of Cypralis clinical candidates into later stage clinical studies, and a royalty payable upon product commercialisation.  The financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Simon Kerr, CEO of Cypralis commented: “Acquiring the Scynexis cyclosporin analogue library augments our existing assets in the cyclophilin inhibitor space.  Cypralis now owns one of the largest and most structurally diverse libraries of cyclophilin inhibitors in the world, with associated IP and sub-type selective compounds in three distinct chemical families.  This transaction will enable Cypralis to accelerate its progression towards the clinic, as the company seeks to develop novel, selective cyclophilin inhibitors that can offer new treatment options for serious diseases.”

ENDS

About Cypralis

Cypralis was spun out from Selcia Limited (Ongar, Essex) in 2013 to exploit its extensive expertise and know-how in targeting peptidyl-prolyl isomerases (known as PPIases), a large family of druggable protein targets involved in many acute and chronic diseases. Cypralis is dedicated to the discovery and development of highly innovative therapeutics through inhibition of PPIases and expects to build upon its existing intellectual property estate through its own R&D activities and also through risk-sharing collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. For further information visit www.cypralis.com

Cyclophilins are a family of enzymes that assist in the folding and transportation of other proteins synthesized within a cell and play key roles in a number of important cellular functions including transcription, translation, apoptosis and kinase signaling.  Cyclophilin D plays a pivotal role in controlling mitochondrial mediated programmed cell death, and Cypralis’ selective inhibitors of CypD offer potential for treatment of both acute and chronic degenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophies, and pancreatic inflammation. Further, secreted cyclophilins display chemotactic and cytokine-like activity, and compounds targeting the catalytic activity of extracellular cyclophilins show promise as treatments for disease states including vasculitis, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

About SCYNEXIS

SCYNEXIS is a pharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of novel anti-infectives to address significant unmet therapeutic needs. Scynexis is developing its lead product candidate, SCY-078, as an oral and IV drug for the treatment of serious and life-threatening invasive fungal infections.  SCY-078 is a glucan synthase inhibitor in Phase 2 clinical development as an IV and oral treatment for fungal infections caused by Candida and Aspergillus species. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track, Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) and orphan drug designations (ODD) for the oral and IV formulations of SCY-078 for the indication of invasive candidiasis, and also granted Fast Track and QIDP designations of SCY-078 for the indication of invasive aspergillosis.

For more information, please contact:

Simon Kerr
CEO, Cypralis
contact@cypralis.com
Tel: +44(0)1277 367020

For media enquiries please contact:

Deborah Cockerill
SCIAD Communications
deborah@sciad.com
Tel: +44 (0)7930 317729