Under the contract, Bicycle will identify Bicycle inhibitors to a range of Penicillin Binding Proteins from pathogens of significant medical concern and investigate their antimicrobial activity.
Bicycle's research proposal was submitted in response to a competitive call for novel strategies targeting antimicrobial resistance in humans.
Since 2009, Bicycle Therapeutics has addressed more than 90 drug targets with an 80% success rate, leading to two ongoing clinical programs, including its lead program BT1718 which is in Phase I/IIa for oncology.
Under this new award, Bicycle will now adapt its ultra-high throughput proprietary phage screening platforms to screen targets to discover novel inhibitors of PBPs, key drug targets that catalyse bacterial cell wall biosynthesis.
Bicycle will target the PBPs of key bacterial pathogens classified by the World Health Organization as either "critical" or "high" threats and which present a significant healthcare concern for UK hospitals.
The work will be led by Dr. Mike Dawson, an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in infectious disease drug discovery and development.
Bicycle Therapeutics is developing a unique class of chemically synthesised medicines based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle) product platform to address therapeutic needs unreachable with existing treatment modalities.
Bicycle's internal focus is in oncology, where the company is developing targeted cytotoxics (Bicycle Toxin Conjugates), targeted innate immune activators and T-cell modulators for cancers of high unmet medical need.
The company's lead programme, BT1718, is being evaluated in a Phase I/IIa trial in collaboration with Cancer Research UK.
The company's intellectual property is based on the work initiated at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, by the scientific founders of the company, Sir Greg Winter, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work in phage display of peptides and antibodies, and Professor Christian Heinis.
Bicycle has its headquarters in Cambridge, UK, with many key functions and members of its leadership team located in the biotech hub of Boston, Mass.
Scancell initiates SCOPE trial's iSCIB1+ cohort
Bio-Thera Solutions' BAT8006 phase II Study receives US FDA IND approval
Poseida Therapeutics names new chief medical officer
Biocytogen and ABL Bio collaborate on development of new bispecific antibody-drug conjugates
BioVaxys Technology announces non-brokered private placement
Senhwa Biosciences doses first subject in phase II study of Silmitasertib
Antennova completes first dosing cohort in Phase one study of ATN-031
M8 Pharmaceuticals collaborates with SERB Pharmaceuticals
BerGenBio ASA starts Phase 2a portion of BGBC016 clinical study of bemcentinib
Phanes Therapeutics receives FDA Fast Track designation for PT886