Cyprotex : Launch of chemTarget for Predicting Biological Target Interaction directly from Chemical Structure

Cyprotex PLC
('Cyprotex' or 'the Company')
Launch of chemTarget for Predicting Biological Target Interaction directly from Chemical Structure

16 June 2016;

Cyprotex PLC (AIM:CRX), a specialist Contract Research Organisation (CRO), announced today the launch of chemTarget, a virtual screening tool for predicting biological target interaction directly from chemical structure. Understanding the affinity of binding to the intended therapeutic target is important in determining the potential therapeutic activity of molecules being developed, whilst analogous information on non-target proteins can indicate the potential for unwanted side-effects. chemTarget is used to train models on existing affinity data; models can be built which are specific to individual targets and to specific chemical series being evaluated. By modelling closely related chemistry the accuracy of the model is increased. The models will be built through collaboration with specialists in our Scientific Computing Group.

Although drug interaction with a target is highly dependent on the strength of interaction or affinity, the concentration of the drug at the target binding site is also an important factor. A key feature of chemTarget is that it can be used in conjunction with our human pharmacokinetic predictor, chemPK. Models produced by chemTarget predict the strength of interaction while chemPK can be used to predict drug concentrations in organs and tissues. Together, these technologies allow prediction of in vivo target engagement from chemical structure alone.

Dr Anthony Baxter, Cyprotex's Chief Executive Officer, comments: 'Combining our new chemTarget in silico capabilities with our existing chemPK workflow provides a unique solution for predicting in-depth biological target engagement parameters. These tools will provide valuable information for medicinal chemists and drug discovery teams which, in turn, can be used to prioritise chemical synthesis and in vitro testing.'

For Further Information

Cyprotex PLC
Tel: [phone]
Dr Anthony Baxter, Chief Executive Office
John Dootson, Chief Financial Officer
Mark Warburton, Chief Operating Officer and Legal Counsel
[e-mail]
www.cyprotex.com

N+1 Singer (Nomad and broker to Cyprotex)
Tel: [phone]
Shaun Dobson
[e-mail]
Jen Boorer
[e-mail]
www.nplus1singer.com

Cyprotex PLC

Cyprotex is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (CRX). It has sites at Macclesfield and Alderley Park, both of which are near Manchester in the UK, and at Watertown, MA and Kalamazoo, MI in the US. The Company was established in 1999 and works with more than 1400 partners within the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, cosmetics and personal care industry and the chemical industry. Cyprotex acquired Apredica and the assets of Cellumen Inc. in August 2010 and the combined business provides support for a wide range of experimental and computational ADME-Tox and PK services. The acquisition of the assets and business of CeeTox in January 2014 has enabled Cyprotex to expand its range of services to target the personal care, cosmetics and chemical industries. In 2015, Cyprotex launched its new bioscience division to expand its capabilities into phenotypic and target based screening. The Company's core capabilities include high quality in vitro ADME services, mechanistic toxicology and high content toxicology screening services, including our proprietary CellCiphr toxicity prediction technology, bioscience services, predictive modelling solutions including Cloe PK, chemPK™, chemTarget and chemTox, and a range of skin, ocular and endocrine disruption services. For more information, please visit www.cyprotex.com.