Spirogen is a clinical stage biotechnology company with a pipeline of products for the global market in the area of oncology. Specialising in novel, sequence-selective, DNA minor groove-binding agents with potent therapeutic properties, its technology involves modification of members of a group of naturally occurring anti-tumour antibiotics called pyrrolobenzodiazepines (PBDs) explains Dr. Chris Martin, Spirogen CEO. Spirogen Ltd 29-39 Brunswick Square London WC1N 1AX United Kingdom Website: www.spirogen.com Dr. Martin has been working in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry since 1984. He cofounded a consulting firm specialising in the financial analysis of investment in discovery processes. When he sold that company in 1997, he started investing in early stage technology and biotechnology companies. Spirogen was one of those companies. “Spirogen founders Professors David Thurston and John Hartley and Dr. Philip Howard had been working on DNA-covalent binding agents for over a decade and their work has shown much promise,” Dr. Martin adds. Initially serving as part-time CEO, he became fulltime CEO of Spirogen in 2004. Other products in the pipeline currently include SG2285, a PBD dimer pro-drug that is activated by hydrolysis; AS-1-145, an achiral analogue of duocarmycin that alkylates in the minor groove of DNA in a sequence-selective manner and a number of highly potent antineoplastic molecules are under evaluation with pharmaceutical companies as candidates for development as payloads in antibody drug conjugate (ADC) therapies. With a licence agreement with Celtic Therapeutics and earlier funding from Research Corporation Technologies (RCT) and Ipsen, the company has since been able to further advance SG2000, their lead oncology drug candidate. SG2000 is as a sequence-selective DNA minor-groove binding, interstrand crosslinking PBD dimer molecule. Dr. Martin explains that SG2000 is currently in Phase II in a multi centred clinical trial with 50 patients with platinum resistant and refractory ovarian cancer. These trials take place in the USA; further trials are planned in Europe in haematological cancers, AML, CLL and MM. “It is our most advanced stand alone cancer therapeutic small molecule drug,” says Dr. Martin. “The first trial results are expected in late 2011.” SG2000 is a DNA minor-groove binding, interstrand crosslinking PBD dimer molecule. Spirogen this year signed a multi-year research collaboration and license agreement with Genentech. “It is a broad based collaboration agreement for the research, discovery and development of antibody drug conjugates using our proprietary PBD drugs and linkers,” explains Dr. Martin, who is clearly thrilled about this deal. “It gives us financial resources, as well as access to the expertise of one of the preeminent players in the field of antibody drug conjugates.” As for Spirogen’s future, Dr. Martin adds: “We want to move SG2000 and SG2285 forward to clinical proof of concept before partnering. We want to see conjugated PBD drugs and linkers being used extensively in targeted anti-cancer targeting therapies.” Spirogen aims to achieve this through multiple collaborations with leading players in the in the field. “We are already seeing considerable interest from many pharmaceutical companies who are working with antibodies and other targeting strategies for the delivery of drugs to tumour cells.” top - home