Base to Base biotech podcast 12: CLS boosts drug discovery capabilities, and Sitryx – pioneers in immunometabolism

This week, our guests are Ben Cliff, CEO of UK-based CRO, Concept Life Sciences, and Ravi Rao, chief medical officer of Sitryx.Interview times01:12 Sitryx 19:40 CLS Concept Life SciencesConcept Life Sciences (CLS), a provider of drug discovery, development, and manufacturing services to the global pharma and biotech sector, recently announced an investment into its drug discovery capabilities.CLS is the UK’s biggest independent CRO, employing over 250 people, and with a corporate heritage spanning 25 years. Its recent strategic investment in the automation of its ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion) which supports clients with medicinal chemistry in complex R&D projects. CLS has also made investments in its peptide discovery engine. The company’s team and infrastructure cover all modalities, including small molecules, biologics, and cell and gene therapies, from concept to the clinic.We had a conversation with the company’s CEO, Ben Cliff, about the company and how it is rapidly growing its business, through acquisition, and enhanced services, supported by its lead investor Limerston Capital.CLS has witnessed an average of 32 months to advance a drug from concept to clinic, ahead of the industry average of 60 months. The company has helped accelerate five drugs to market, 28 candidates to the clinic, and 44 candidates to the pre-clinical stage. CLS offers a broad and deep expertise, from drug discovery through early-stage development to multi-kilogram API manufacturing for phase 1 clinical trials.We had a conversation with Ben Cliff, CLS’ CEO.SitryxSitryx is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel oral therapies to restore immune balance in autoimmune and inflammatory disease.The company has a broad pipeline of novel small molecule candidates targeting major autoimmune indications with high unmet need. Its lead candidate, SYX-5219, is a potentially first-in-class PKM2 modulator in development for atopic dermatitis as a once-daily oral therapy with future development potential across multiple autoimmune diseases.In 2020, Sitryx formed an exclusive global licensing and research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company, with the first program, SYX-1042 (itaconate mimetic), now in-house at Eli Lilly and Company and in clinical development, with the commencement of a phase 1 trial in January 2024.Established in 2018 with seed funding from SV Health Investors, Sitryx has raised $85 million to date from an international syndicate of specialist investors.Our chat was with chief medical officer at Sitryx, Ravi Rao.To get in touch with guest suggestions, please email [email protected]

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