Newsletter February 2017

A message from the CEO

We learnt a great deal about T20K in 2016!

Over the past six months, we have analysed a number of T20K’s key characteristics according to the plans we announced prior to floatation in June 2016. We now know that T20K is easier to chemically synthesize, and it appears to be chemically and biologically more stable than we thought six months ago. We have therefore devoted more time to researching T20K from a safety perspective because we want to create an MS treatment with as few side effects as possible.

Results from our studies in 2016 confirm T20K’s lower level of toxicity in relation to the MS effects that researchers at the Medical University of Vienna published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) last year, which was a main reason for us to believe that T20K can potentially be a breakthrough product for MS.

We have also noted that side effects appear to be related to periods with temporarily high concentrations of free T20K in the blood, while the desired pharmacological effects appear to depend on the total amount of T20K that is administered. This means that the appropriate dose of T20K could act as an effective therapy and at the same time minimise side effects – a profile that no MS treatment currently offers.

Plans for 2017 and 2018
Given the insights into T20K’s function that we developed during 2016, we are now planning a development programme that could define how to give T20K to animals and humans to maximise its effectiveness against MS and minimise side effects. A pre-clinical programme such as this could take a shorter amount of time than we had planned last year, and it is therefore possible that we will be able to study the effectiveness of T20K in humans as early as this year.

A development programme of this type in 2017 could pave the way for an oral development programme towards Phase I, as planned, in 2018.

We will put forward a pre-clinical and clinical “first in man” plan as soon as we have identified an optimal strategy. Supporting us in this work, we have Cyxone’s scientific advisory board and, for pre-clinical and clinical development of treatments, we have a highly experienced team from the Dutch company Sourcia, which has already provided us with excellent advice on establishing the best development process for T20K.

Patents
As previously announced, Cyxone is acquiring all cyclotide patents from the Medical University of Vienna (MUW). This means that we are replacing the licence agreement with a purchase contract, which gives us the freedom to develop the patents in ways that suit Cyxone. In discussions with pharmaceutical companies, for example, Cyxone is able to enter agreements more easily than a licence holder. The terms and conditions relating to MUW remain unchanged which means that all proceeds from a sale of T20K revert to Cyxone.

A development that should not be underestimated is our patent approvals for T20K and cyclotides in the US. It is notoriously difficult to get patents approved in the US without giving up several patent claims. MUW and Cyxone have therefore enjoyed substantial success in the US and we now expect to obtain patent approvals in other markets.

Presentations and conferences
Cyxone met shareholders during the investors’ event held in Lund, southern Sweden on January 31. It was great to see so many participants in person, and even more who participated via the online broadcast the organisers had arranged.

In February and March Cyxone will be taking part in Swiss-Nordic Bio, and presenting Cyxone at the Sachs Forum. Both events will be held in Zurich. Cyxone is also participating in BioEurope Spring that will be held in Spain in March.