Cambridge Research Biochemicals acquires rights to novel technology useful for development of gene and drug therapies

Cambridge Research Biochemicals (CRB), a British company specialising in custom supply of research reagents, principally peptides and antibodies for medical research and the Pharmaceutical industry, today announced that it has licensed the rights to a novel and patentable method for parallel assembly of a large number of peptide-therapeutic cargo combinations. The company aims to launch a service in October to provide both researchers and pharmaceutical companies with custom-made libraries of peptide-cargo conjugates to help accelerate the delivery and development of new therapeutics.

 he method originated at the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology, where scientists have been working to develop cell-penetrating peptides capable of carrying therapeutic drug cargoes intocells. The sorts of diseases that could benefit from such peptide-deliveredtherapeutics are broad ranging and include muscular dystrophies, cancer andmetabolic diseases. In order to develop such therapeutics, it is necessary to test a wide variety of peptide-cargo combinations to determine the optimal peptide for delivery of the drug cargo for the condition being treated. This new technology enhances the speed of the early stage drug screening process and helps those without the necessary chemistry expertise, to more rapidly prepare and test a much greater number of peptide-drug conjugates towards the delivery and development of potential novel therapeutics.

 mily Humphrys, Commercial Director at CRB said: "We are really pleased to be able to provide a long-awaited service for the selection of the most appropriate cell-penetrating peptide for delivery of drugs to both academic researchers and industry. As a company, CRB has extensive peptide chemistry capability and enjoys a longstanding relationship with the MRC-LMB both from the formation of the company in 1980 to the ongoing supply contract for peptides and antibodies in place since 2010. This collaboration marks another accolade from the partnership.”

 r Mike Gait, the MRC scientist who has directed this work commented: "We are very excited that CRB has taken on our new method and will open it up to a wider number of researchers and to industry, ultimately enabling the development of new treatments."

The method was licensed to CRB by MRC Technology on behalf of the MRC. MRC Technology provides the MRC with technology transferservices. 

Contact: Cambridge Research Biochemicals, emily.humphrys@crbdiscovery.com

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Editors Notes

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

The Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) is one of the world's leading research institutes.  Discoveries and inventions developed at the LMB, for example DNA sequencing and methods to determine the structure of proteins, have revolutionised allareas of biology.  Its scientists work to advance understanding of biological processes at the molecular level.  This information will help us to understand the workings of complex systems, such as the immune system and the brain, and solve key problems inhuman health.

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology contact:

Email: lmb-news@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk

Website: http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/

MRC Technology

MRC Technology (www.mrctechnology.org) is a technology transfer organisation responsible for adding commercial value to cutting edge scientific discoveries through strategic patent protection, creative licensing of intellectual property (IP), partnered research or further scientific development.

As well as offering technology transfer services to the UK’s Medical Research Council the Company has recently broadened its activity to include helping other charitable and academic organisations) with IP management and commercial development of healthcare-related science, thus bringing valuable income back to the organisations to help fund further research.

MRC Technology also has small molecule drug discovery and therapeutic antibody facilities, providing lead-stage therapeutic assets to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

About Cambridge Research Biochemicals

Cambridge Research Biochemicals (www.crbdiscovery.com) is a leading independent producer of custom-made peptide and antibody tools, supplying researchers in the pharmaceutical, life science and academic sectors worldwide. The primary applications of its products are as custom-made, laboratory scale reagents for proof of principal studies within early phase drug discovery and to support biomarker programmes in clinical studies. The company produces all flavours of peptides from simple to modified, stable and radio-labelled to dye labelled from milligrams to gram-scale to the highest levels of purity. CRB also distributes supporting products like Peptide Nucleic Acids and Europium chelates from other specialist producers including Panagene (South Korea) and Bio-Nobile P&S (Finland).