RxCelerate Opens UK-Based Chemistry Operations at the University of Warwick

CAMBRIDGE, England, October 31, 2018 (Newswire.com) - RxCelerate, one of the leading out-sourced drug discovery and development platforms in the United Kingdom, announced today it has opened UK-based chemistry operations at The University of Warwick. The new operation will be led by Dr Nigel Ramsden, who joins RxCelerate on a full-time basis as Executive Vice President, Chemistry Operations, working closely with Dr David Fox in the Department of Chemistry at Warwick.

RxCelerate has previously offered small molecule discovery services through a network of expert consultants, collaborators and partnerships with contract research organisations in the UK, US, India and China. The new UK-based operation represents a significant expansion in capacity, but also allows RxCelerate to work on synthetic routes too challenging for out-sourcing.

“Investing in a chemistry operation in the UK compliments our business model,” said Dr Jill Reckless, CEO of RxCelerate. “This capability allows us to offer timely chemical and analytical solutions to our clients where tighter control over experimental execution is required.”

“I am excited by the opportunity to join a rapidly expanding business, with a unique ability to deliver solutions to challenging problems in medicinal chemistry, scale-up synthesis and analytics” said Dr Nigel Ramsden, who earned his stripes as a medicinal chemist during a decade-long stint at GlaxoSmithKline before joining Cellzome, where he was responsible for developing drug discovery pipelines in Alzheimer’s Disease and inflammatory diseases.

Dr David Fox, Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, said, “We have delivered numerous chemical solutions, from chemical probes and clinical candidates to scalable process routes to RxCelerate and its clients over a number of years and are delighted that they have made this investment to expand and develop the relationship further.” Professor Mike Ward, Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick, added, “We are delighted to see this new partnership between RxCelerate and Warwick’s chemistry department. Close links between academia and industry are of ever-increasing importance as they allow exciting new science to be translated into real-world impact and benefit to society as quickly and effectively as possible and we look forward to seeing the fruits of this new partnership.”

RxCelerate operates a unique model, allowing clients to out-source complete drug discovery and development programs to a team of world-class drug developers obviating the need for internal expertise usually required when out-sourcing to contract research organisations. Founded in 2012, the company initially built its reputation on the quality of its preclinical models of human diseases, but rapidly expanded to offer a comprehensive, turnkey drug discovery and development solution.

Following the acquisition of Cambridge-based Total Scientific in May this year, RxCelerate gained in-house GxP capabilities, as well as the world’s most extensive commercial Phenome-Wide Association Study (PheWAS) platform.

“Opening a chemistry operation in the UK strengthens further the unique RxCelerate offering,” said Founder and Chairman, Dr David Grainger. “Nigel Ramsden and David Fox are two talented drug discoverers, marrying extensive commercial experience with strong academic chemistry credentials. Together they can tackle any problem, however tough, and deliver high-value solutions to our clients in a timely fashion.”

About RxCelerate

RxCelerate is an out-sourced drug discovery and development company, founded in Cambridge UK in 2012, with a focus on working smarter. It has grown rapidly to become one of the leading providers of drug development services in the United Kingdom. RxCelerate operates a unique model, providing capabilities to discover and develop drugs for clients, designing as well as executing every aspect of the research and development plan.

RxCelerate offers a wide range of services. The biology team specializes in in-vivo pharmacology, offering proprietary models of a wide range of human diseases, as well as complex cell-based assays. The chemistry team provides medicinal chemistry, including in silico screening, and synthesis that integrates seamlessly with the in vitro testing capability. A dedicated team designs the optimum discovery or development strategy for each project, as well as integrated program management. By working closely together, these teams can deliver pharma-grade drug product candidates at a fraction of the cost of traditional approaches.

For more information, please visit us at rxcelerate.comand connect with us on Twitter (@RxCelerate). Contact our UK headquarters: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)1223 804240. Contact our US headquarters: [email protected] Tel: +1 (857) 409-6028 

About the University of Warwick 

The University of Warwick is consistently ranked in the top 10 universities in the UK every UK newspaper university overall league table, and in the top 100 in the world. It is one of the UK's leading universities, with an acknowledged reputation for excellence in research, teaching, and innovation alongside pioneering links with business and industry. In the Government’s last Research Excellence Framework announced in late December 2014, an independent panel of experts confirmed Warwick as one of the top Chemistry Departments in the UK ranking it 6th overall for research quality with 98% of its research classified as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent.”

For more information and contact details, please visit www.warwick.ac.uk

About Babraham Research Campus

Babraham Bioscience Technologies Ltd(BBT) is responsible for the commercial development of the Babraham Research Campus. The Babraham Research Campus is distinct in its co-location of bioscience companies with the Babraham Institute, a world-renowned research organisation. The Campus provides companies laboratory and office space together with access to outstanding scientific facilities in an ideal geographical location at the core of the Cambridge cluster. Website: www.babraham.com

For more information, please contact Derek Jones, Chief Executive, Babraham Bioscience Technologies Limited. Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)1223 496262

Source: RxCelerate