BNC enhances pharmaceutical development capability

The SLA enables Bio Nano Consulting (BNC) to offer an expanded service offering to life-science and pharma companies as it provides access to an increased pool of academic experts skilled in the fields of pharmaceutics, pharmacology and drug discovery.

BNC has utilised the arrangement to secure a contract with an undisclosed US-based biotechnology company.

Under the terms of the agreement, BNC will manage a specific project, carried out by scientists at the School of Pharmacy, to formulate a phase one cancer drug with the goal of making the treatment orally available, rather than delivered intravenously.

The four-month proof-of-concept project is intended to demonstrate dissolution and oral availability and, once successful, will progress to a second project stage with School of Pharmacy scientists working closely with the biotechnology company to take the formulation through to late-stage development.

Undisclosed licensing and milestone terms have been agreed between the School of Pharmacy and the client, subject to formulation success.

The School of Pharmacy's strong scientific resources are entirely complementary to BNC's existing nanotechnology and bioengineering services, provided through the London Centre for Nanotechnology at University College London (UCL) and Imperial College London respectively.