NEWS
March 12th 2013
MGB Chairman Adam Christie's Letter responding to UK Chief Medical Officer's Report published as column in The Scotsman
Link to Letter click here
September 11th 2012
MGB PRESENTED POSTER AT 52nd ICAAC, SAN FRANCISCO
"Disposition of MGB-BP-3, a New Class of Antibacterial Agent, After Oral Administration in a Hamster Model of Severe Clostridium difficile Associated Diarrhoea (CDAD)"
Link to Poster click here
CEO Miroslav Ravic commented during the ICCAC conference “This study is extremely important as it builds solidly on the ICAAC paper last year in Chicago. There we demonstrated that MGB BP3 worked as well as the gold standard in curing C difficile infections in a preclinical model with superior results in clearing the bacteria. What we have shown clearly this time is that the drug is very accurately delivered to the gut and that it does so in sufficient concentrations to ensure the best possible chance of having an antibacterial effect. This is another key step for the MGB programme. With our new class and it's mechanism of action, it has always been for us about making a difference. As existing drugs become less effective due to the rise of resistance to established mechanisms, it becomes more and more urgent to have new drugs ready for use in life threatening infections. With our C difficile programme results together with the very recent significant progress we have made for our injectable formulation of the same drug (for MRSA and other infections) we believe we are exactly on-track to add a very valuable new option for clinicians in the endless battle against bacterial infections.
April 2nd 2012 ECCMID POSTER ABSTRACT PRESENTED : Press Release
Glasgow based MGB Biopharma which is developing a new class of antibiotic called DNA Minor Groove Binders, announced today that it has published the results of activity of its most advanced drug MGB-BP3 against Gram positive bacteria, including MRSA and vancomycin resistant enterococci. The company presented data at the 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in London on April 2nd. The company’s technology was licensed from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and the company has been financed by a business angel syndicate led by Archangel Informal Investments Ltd in association with TriCapital Ltd, Barwell plc and the Scottish Co-investment Fund.
Gavin D Clark, Chief Business Officer and co-founder of MGB Biopharma said “These results confirm our new class to be a very significant new potential weapon against resistant bacterial infections. Last September we announced preclinical proof of concept for our lead compound for Clostridium difficile infections. That is a condition which exists in the gut and has to be treated orally. As we now know that MGB BP-3 is negligibly absorbed in the gut, the relevance of the new data is that we are now working on a second version of the same drug - this time given by injection, for life threatening infections caused by MRSA and other deadly drug resistant bacteria. Although we have recently been concentrating our limited resources on developing our drug for C difficile, in March we were fortunately able to gain a grant of £100,000 from the UK Government backed Technology Strategy Board. This has been dedicated entirely to the parallel development of a formulation suitable for injection into gravely ill patients. It is particularly pleasing to be able to work alongside our partners the University of Strathclyde as they have especially relevant technology and know-how to be able to formulate drugs like MGB-BP3”.
Professor Curtis Gemmell, Consultant Microbiologist at the University of Glasgow and senior member of research team, stated “The new data being presented shows that MGB-BP3 is active against the epidemic strains of MRSA causing infection in the United Kingdom as well as other causes of serious infection including those caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci. MRSA and other staphylococci are rapidly killed by MGB-BP3 and at present there is no predisposition to the development of resistance among these bacteria. This is good news!”
Link to Poster: click here
March 9th 2012 TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY BOARD GRANT AWARDED FOR PARENTERAL PROJECT
MGB Biopharma Limited announced today the award of a Proof of Concept grant by the UK Government-backed Technology Strategy Board under its Smart scheme for a project entitled “Parenteral Formulation for New Class (DNA Minor Groove Binder) Anti-Infective”
The project will focus on MGB BP-3 which is a small molecule which belongs to the new class of anti-infectives, the DNA minor groove binders under development by MGB Biopharma. MGB BP-3 is the clinical candidate already selected from a series with strong antibacterial activity against Gram positive agents including MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus), VRE (Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus) and Clostridium Difficile. MGB BP-3 is already in late stage preclinical studies for oral administration in the treatment of Clostridium Difficile infections, having demonstrated certain advantages over vancomycin during studies conducted in Q2 2011.
The project will be led by MGB and the funding will amount to £100,000 over a period of 6 months.
Miroslav Ravic, CSO/CEO said “We are delighted that the Technology Strategy Board has agreed to support development of this important new class of antibacterial. This grant will allow us to access a wider field of use than our current resources would have allowed in the short term – for example into the potential treatment of life threatening infections where resistance to existing drugs occurs. The formulation work we will perform for parenteral usage has much more far reaching implications than for our lead molecule alone, as it will provide us with key data which will extend to the other potential applications of our DNA minor groove class to areas including other profile antibiotics, antifungals, and compounds with specific activity in parasitic diseases including malaria”.
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.”