NEWS
January 5th 2012 APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT MANAGER
MGB Biopharma announced today the appointment of Dr Dawn Firmin as Project Manager. Dawn has a PhD in Immunology and Infection/Pathology from the University of Aberdeen and has previously held Project Manager posts at Charles River Laboratories in Edinburgh. In her new position at MGB Biopharma Dawn will have a pivotal role in coordinating the pre-IND development of MGB-BP3. She will be working closely with MGB’s licensor the University of Strathclyde and the key contract partners and advisers of MGB Biopharma. CEO Dr Miroslav Ravic commented "we are very pleased to have someone with Dawn’s experience join us at this important time for MGB Biopharma as we make such excellent progress towards the clinical phase for our new class of anti-infectives”. MGB Biopharma gratefully acknowledges the assistance of TalentScotland www.talentscotland.com for this key appointment.
December 1st 2011 CHEMICAL PRODUCTION - SELECTION OF CONTRACT MANUFACTURER
MGB-Biopharma Limited is pleased to announce that it has selected Almac Group in Northern Irelend to manufacture its cGMP requirements for the lead Gram positive antibacterial MGB-BP3. The compound is a DNA minor groove binder and is currently in preclinical development with IND filing targeted for Q3 2012. CEO Dr Miroslav Ravic said “we were very quickly impressed with the approach taken by Almac and they have already shown an intuitive understanding of what it takes to support a small company like ours. We look forward to a continued successful relationship”.
November 17th 2011 MGB WINS NEXXUS MOST PROMISING YOUNG LIFE SCIENCES CO OF 2011 (WEST)
Director of Nexxus, the networking organisation for Scotland's life scientists, Graeme Boyle, said, "It's fantastic to see a young Scottish company concentrating on this vital area and employing to such great effect the local compound licensing resource which Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences offers. This pooling of resources is a winning combination, not just for MGB Biopharma but for the health of the people of Scotland and beyond."
October 3rd 2011 MGB RECEIVES TRANCHE 2 FINANCING
MGB Biopharma Limited received a second tranche of financing of £800,000 during September from existing investors Archangel Informal Investments Ltd in association with TriCap Ltd, and the Scottish Co-investment Fund). The second tranche was initiated in direct response to the company meeting the technology milestone of preclinical proof of concept for its lead compound MGB BP-3.
CEO, Dr Miroslav Ravic noted: “we have been able to demonstrate clear efficacy in the preclinical stage for the technology and have confirmed MGB BP-3 as our adopted lead compound for further development. The acceptance of our abstract studying effects in C. difficile, as a late breaker for the recent ICAAC conference and the reception we had from the media from that underlines just what we have achieved in such a short time from starting work on this new class of antibiotic.”
Raymond Spencer, CFO, added “We are pleased to have secured the funding necessary to advance MGB BP-3 towards human clinical testing. C. difficile remains a significant healthcare problem, particularly with the emergence of hyper-virulent strains . MGB BP-3 offers some hope for hospitalized patients that are vulnerable to attack from this pathogen.”
September 20th 2011 COVERAGE OF MGB IN "THE SCOTSMAN" NEWSPAPER
September 19th 2011 PROOF OF CONCEPT ACHIEVED
MGB achieves proof of concept for MGB BP-3 in a preclinical model for Clostridium difficile which showed superiority to gold standard vancomycin.
MGB BP 3 is now formally selected for preclinical development and clinical trials are scheduled to start in 2012.
12th August 2011 ICAAC PAPER
MGB Biopharma Limited presented a poster abstract at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Chicago IL, September 17th-20th entitled "MGB-BP3, A new class antibacterial agent effective in the treatment of severe Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea in a hamster CDAD model".
12th April 2011
Significant activity by MGB's lead compounds has been shown in-vitro against resistant strains of Clostridium difficile. This shows that the novel mechanism exhibited by MGB's DNA Minor Groove Binder compounds extends to a very important organism which is causing much concern amongst health authorities due to the increasingly limited availability and efficacy of drugs against this potentially fatal bacteria.
19th August 2010 APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT MANAGER
MGB Biopharma announced the appointment of Jennifer Allan as Project Manager. Her appointment signals the acceleration of the late preclinical development for MGB's antibacterial programme which is based upon DNA Minor Groove Binders from the University of Strathclyde. Jennifer was formerly Study Director at Charles River Laboratories in Edinburgh and in her more than 10 years there she built up an excellent knowledge of project management and reporting of research projects for global pharma and biotech companies. In her new position Jennifer will have a leading role managing MGB's exploratory development projects including the final selection and confirmation of clinical compounds. She will be working closely with the University of Strathclyde and also other contract partners of MGB. She holds a BSc Hons from Napier University, Edinburgh with specialism in toxicology. Commenting on the appointment, MGB CEO Dr Miroslav Ravic said "we are indeed fortunate to have found a person of Jennifer's key expertise. She forms a very important part of our team and is a welcome addition to the company". MGB acknowledges the assistance of Talent Scotland www.talentscotland.com for this key appointment.
31st March 2010 COMMENCED OPERATIONS
MGB Biopharma Limited, Scottish Start-Up targeting infectious diseases with new class antibacterials has commenced operations in Glasgow, UK. Funding secured totalling almost £2M from angel syndicate led by Archangel Informal Investments Ltd in association with TRI Cap Ltd, Barwell plc and the Scottish Co-Investment Fund.
Press release 6th April 2010
NEW ANTIBIOTICS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Scottish start-up targeting infectious diseases with new class of anti-bacterials
• World-wide first – a new class of anti-bacterial has been developed in Scotland
• Scottish funding has been secured to develop a commercial product for global benefit
• Life saving potential - combating drug resistant bacterial infections
• Secured funding totaling almost £2million
Today MGB Biopharma Limited, a late preclinical stage biopharmaceutical company, has commenced operations in Glasgow, UK to develop and commercialise a new class of anti-bacterial product: DNA Minor Groove Binders.
The senior executives are highly experienced pharmaceutical and biotech experts with a well-proven track record and the company has received startup funding from an angel syndicate led by Archangel Informal Investments Ltd in association with TRI Cap Ltd, Barwell plc and the Scottish Co-investment Fund.
The technology has been licensed from the University of Strathclyde and has so far demonstrated very significant in vitro and in vivo activity against Gram positive bacteria, including MRSA and also against some Gram negative bacteria.
The technology involves a new class of DNA minor groove binders (MGBs), to be used as anti-bacterial drugs. These compounds have arisen from the work of a multidisciplinary team comprising medicinal chemists, molecular modellers and microbiologists.
The initial development of the technology was created entirely through Scottish-based funding, initially through the former Synergy Fund, owned by Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow, then through Scottish Enterprise's Proof of Concept Programme and from royalties from Leucovorin®, the cancer treatment produced from research at Strathclyde in the 1980s. The funding for further development and commercialisation is being led by Scotland’s largest angel group, Archangels.
Dr Miroslav Ravic, Chief Executive Officer of MGB Biopharma said, “The introduction of a new class of antibacterial is an all too rare event in medical science. We are particularly proud to be working with the DNA Minor Groove Binder Technology from the University of Strathclyde – I believe the last Scottish association with the discovery of a new antibacterial class was none other than that of Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin 82 years ago. We are excited by the fact that MGB Biopharma has the potential to bring a new mechanism of action into the treatment of serious hospital and community acquired infections. This is an area of high unmet need as a result of the rise of resistant bacteria which are not susceptible to many currently available antibacterial products”.
Professor Colin Suckling, of Strathclyde's Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, has been Principal Investigator in the DNA minor groove binder technology. He said: "This is technology which was initiated and developed in Scotland and which is now being funded to grow in Scotland - for worldwide benefit.
"Minor Groove Binders, which are found in DNA structures, have great potential to act as anti-infective agents to deal with infections which can have a serious, and even fatal, impact. We look forward to the new company taking the technology further so that improved and safer treatments can be delivered to patients."
John Waddell, Chief Executive of Archangels, said; “This is the largest deal that Archangels has led in its 18 years of operation and one of the most complex. By bringing together funding approaching £2million from partners across Scotland we are backing the further development of this exciting product, which has major potential to cut deaths from infection.”
Andrew Sloane, head of Scottish Co-Investment Fund for Scottish Enterprise, said: “Scottish Enterprise has a major role to play in helping to increase private sector investment into Scottish companies and this deal is a great example of how we can help to make this happen.”
Robert Dick, TRI Cap chairman commented: “TRI Cap members are delighted once more to partner with Archangel to invest in this funding round for MGB Biopharma. Around £200,000 has been secured from members in two tranches: we have all been impressed with the sense of purpose and clear vision of the management team at MGB.”
Alec Mackie from Barwell plc said; “It has been a busy year for Barwell as it continues to invest in innovative Scottish companies. Offering the prospect of improved healthcare worldwide, MGB BioPharma is another exciting example.”