The adoptation curve: How market slumps shape technological evolution
Janine joined Neumirna from Pfizer, where he served as senior vice president and chief scientific officer of the Rare Disease Research Unit. In that role, he held responsibility for more than 20 novel programs across the full spectrum of research and development, established Pfizer’s rare disease strategy, conceptualized and implemented the company’s gene therapy strategy with the creation of the Genetic Medicine Institute and founded the Rare Disease Research Consortium. Prior to joining Pfizer, Kevin worked at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and, in addition to leading the formation of multiple strategic commercial and academic partnerships, he led epigenetics research and was responsible for the creation of the EpiNova Discovery Performance Unit. Before joining GSK, he lectured at Warwick University Medical School and founded Cambridge Biotechnology (acquired by Biovitrum) and Neurosolutions.Kevin studied pharmaceutical sciences at Nottingham University, followed by a Ph.D. in pharmacology at Cambridge University. He undertook postdoctoral training as a Wellcome Trust International Prize Fellow before joining the Parke Davis Research Unit in Cambridge, U.K. Kevin is an author on more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, has an MBA from Warwick Business School and has been awarded an honorary chair in molecular pharmacology from the University of Warwick. In addition to his seat on Bicycle’s board of directors, Kevin is a non-executive director of NodThera Ltd.
Molecules are formed by constraining short linear peptides into a stabilized bi-cyclic structure using a central chemical scaffold. This constraint confers attractive drug-like properties, including the potential for high affinity to the designated target. It also allows the peptides in the two loops to adopt biologically relevant secondary and tertiary structures, such as alpha helices and loops – these are features often found in proteins and protein ligands, allowing Bicycle molecules to effectively mimic protein-protein interactions. This, coupled with the large surface area presented by the molecule, will hopefully allow targets that have historically been intractable to small molecules to be readily targeted by Bicycle molecules.
Bicycle molecules are unlike conventional small molecules in that they can be readily conjugated to other chemical payloads, or indeed to other Bicycle molecules, without losing their desired pharmacology. Bicycle molecules combine the pharmacological properties normally associated with a biologic with the pharmacokinetic and synthetic advantages of a small molecule. Their attractive pharmacokinetic properties enable Bicycle molecules to quickly leave the vasculature and distribute rapidly to target tissues and tumors, enabling delivery directly to the required site of action. Here, we believe their pharmacological selectivity to disease associated targets, will allow for the precision guidance of a therapy specifically to the required site of action within the disease tissue.
