Osborne Clarke advises King’s College London on formation of breast cancer treatment company

By Sam Pither

9 November 2022

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Lawyers at international law practice Osborne Clarke have advised King’s College London on its establishment of Cytolytix Limited.

Cytolytix is a newly formed subsidiary of Essex-based life science company ValiRx looking to progress the preclinical development of its novel treatment for triple negative breast cancer, CLX001, which is based on IP licensed from the university.

CLX001 is a peptide (a string of amino acids) designed to destroy cancer cells without requiring specific cell markers or gene mutations for activity. Its development will be led by ValiRx with oversight from the Cytolytix board which includes Kings College London and the academic inventors of CLX001, Martin Ulmschneider and Charles Chen.

Accounting for around 15 per cent of breast cancers, triple negative breast cancer is generally more aggressive, more difficult to treat and more likely to recur than other cancers. If the development is successful, the CLX001 treatment could be potentially expanded to ovarian and other solid tumour cancers in future.

The Osborne Clarke team advising King’s College was led by Partner Justin Starling and included Senior Associate Magnus Williams.

ValiRx CEO, Dr Suzy Dilly, said: "I am delighted to announce the launch of Cytolytix to progress the development of CLX001 as we reach the preclinical development stage, following rigorous scientific assessment to move into full in-licensing.

"We are also pleased to be looking at expanding the use of the treatment, for not only triple negative breast cancer, but also ovarian cancer treatment.

“This project is the first output of the strategy we launched in 2020 to bring new academic, early-stage projects into our pipeline and is an excellent example of the innovative science being carried out at UK universities.

"Expanding our portfolio with CLX001 is an important step towards diversifying our pipeline and ensuring innovative research and development remains the foundation of our company"

Featured image: iStock

By Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset.

A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise.

Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.