Senexis has won the 2009 ERBI Award for Innovation for its work targeting Alzheimer's disease.
Sue Dunkerton, director of the award's sponsor, Healthtech and Medicines KTN, said: 'Following work on a totally novel and unique therapeutic approach targeted at brain inflammation, Senexis has discovered new drug candidates that demonstrate significant efficacy within models of memory and learning.' The other two short-listed candidates were Biotica, which focused on developing a treatment for patients with severe asthma; and Horizon Discovery, which is trying to accelerate the development of niche cancer treatments.
Biotica has developed a novel genetic engineering technology called novoPT, which enables optimisation of a family of naturally occurring products called polyketides.
Biotica is using novoPT to create analogues of FK506 that share its immunosuppressant qualities (it is shown to have benefits for asthma) but lack the systemic side effects.
Horizon Discovery has created more than 150 genetically defined human cancer-cell models that enable the development of drugs and diagnostics targeted for a specific genetic profile.
It uses a gene-alteration process that is faster than the older plasmid-based technologies.
