Spirochem, a Contract Research Organization (CRO) headquartered in Basel acquired Cyclenium Pharma, The acquisition marks a significant milestone for SpiroChem as it expands its capabilities in the rapidly growing field of macrocyclic therapeutics and at the same time allows the company to tap into the North American market.
Macrocycles - cyclic compounds comprising 12 atoms or more - are receiving renewed attention within the pharmaceutical industry as a promising therapeutic modality due to their unique properties and potential in targeting challenging disease targets and therapeutic areas. Cyclenium Pharma's expertise in the design and synthesis of macrocycles, coupled with SpiroChem's know-how will create a powerful synergy. The resulting libraries will be even more attractive and differentiated, offering novel opportunities for hit generation and subsequent drug discovery and development projects.
By acquiring Cyclenium Pharma, SpiroChem establishes a strong presence in Canada and utilizes Cyclenium as a catalyst to expand its footprint and activities in North America. This strategic move serves as a relay of growth, allowing SpiroChem to tap into the vibrant Canadian life sciences ecosystem and leverage the diverse talent pool available in Montreal. SpiroChem, founded 2011 as spin-off of ETH Zurich, also remains committed to its operations in Switzerland and continues to drive innovation from its headquarters in Basel. As part of its expansion plans, the company is actively evaluating options to further enhance its presence in Basel over the coming year.
"We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of Cyclenium Pharma," said Dr. Thomas Fessard, CEO of SpiroChem. "Their expertise in macrocycle design and synthesis perfectly complements our capabilities. Together, we will create an unrivalled library of macrocycles, enabling us to deliver innovative solutions to our customers and advance the field of drug discovery into a new dimension of chemical space."
Cyclenium was founded by management and research staff from Tranzyme Pharma, one of the pioneers in the generation and use of small molecule macrocycles for drug discovery. The company employs its proprietary next generation CMRT small-molecule macrocycle technology for drug discovery against difficult disease targets, on its own and in partnership with leading academic and non-profit organizations, as well as innovative pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide.
“Becoming part of SpiroChem will permit broad access and full exploitation of the versatility and power of Cyclenium’s unique technology, which we developed over the past decade for use against a variety of difficult drug targets” added Dr. Helmut Thomas, CEO and CSO of Cyclenium Pharma. “We are particularly excited about the synergistic potential of our joint novel platforms and the opportunities they offer in the application of macrocycles in pharmaceutical drug discovery and beyond.”
(Press release / SK)
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