FR

Technology

In developing its proprietary CMRT (“smart,” Customized Macrocycles for Recognition of Topologies) Technology, the Cyclenium team focussed on the correction of deficiencies, in particular relating to drug-likeness, in earlier approaches, and designed the QUEST Library to possess the following key attributes:

  • Broad spatial coverage and superior topological diversity
  • Unique structures outside existing patents in macrocycle space
  • Congruent with drug-likeness criteria of Lipinsky and Veber
  • In-line with current industry standards for physicochemical properties and stability of classical small molecules
  • Displaying preferred structural elements for protein-protein interactions and brain penetration
  • Minimal off-target activity and superior safety
  • Amenable for use in any HTS system
  • Modular assembly that enables rapid solid-phase synthesis and high-throughput optimization
  • Easy scalability in solution, reasonable manufacturing costs
  • Amenable to standard formulation approaches

Macrocyclic Drug Discovery

  • Covers unexploited molecular space between traditional small molecules and large bio-molecules
  • Cyclic chemical structures with ring sizes of generally >12 atoms
  • Captures pharmacological properties of larger peptides/proteins in metabolically stable small molecules
  • Offers excellent target fit, high potency and exquisite selectivity similar to biologics due to constrained and preorganized conformation
  • Potential to modulate complex drug targets with simple agents
  • Proven on broad range of target classes

Cyclenium CMRT Technology Advantages

  • Alternative to biological drugs (antibodies, proteins, peptides, oligonucleotides)
  • Orally bioavailable and blood-brain-barrier (BBB) penetrating compounds
  • Compounds that behave like traditional small molecules regarding stability, PK/PD properties, development
  • Well suited to track historically poorly accessible drug targets in broad range of therapeutic areas
  • Offers an underexplored chemical class as an attractive alternative to the typical heterocyclic small molecules that dominate current pharmaceutical compound collections.
brown and black round beads

Arkadii Vaisburg

Ph.D., Executive director of Medicinal Chemistry

Arkadii is the site head of the North American Division of SpiroChem (Cyclenium Pharma, Montreal, Canada). He is responsible for the site operation directing multiple teams of scientists working on platform, medicinal chemistry and custom synthesis projects, as well as supporting the SpiroChem business development team in contacting, soliciting and arranging meetings with potential clients.

He has more than 25 years of drug discovery and development experience in the areas of infectious diseases, ophthalmology and oncology. Prior to joining SpiroChem Arkadii served as Executive Director at MethylGene/Mirati Therapeutics in Montreal where he and his coworkers delivered clinical compounds, Glesatinib and Sitravatinib to treat cancer; and most recently as Senior Director at NuChem Sciences, a well-established North American CRO.

Arkadii holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from N.D.Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences.

Thomas Fessard

Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer & Chief Scientific Officer

Thomas studied chemistry in France (ENSC, Montpellier) and the UK (UMIST, Manchester) and obtained a PhD degree from the university of Nottingham, UK.

After research appointments at the School of Pharmacy in Nottingham and ETH Zürich, Thomas joined Lipideon Biotechnology AG in 2007. As Head of the Drug Discovery and Chemistry, he lead a multi-disciplinary team that discovered a candidate for pre-clinical investigation (Non-Systemic Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitor).

In 2011, Thomas co-founded SpiroChem AG, Swiss fine chemicals company and serves as CEO of the company.

Thomas has several years of experience in the management of R&D projects, including medicinal chemistry, design of innovative building blocks for drug discovery and development of new process routes.