About us
Our Scientific and Therapeutic Focus
Senexis is developing novel small molecule inhibitors of amyloid aggregation as potential therapeutic agents to inhibit and reverse the pathogenic process of protein misfolding, amyloid-related toxicity and inflammation. By screening focused libraries of drug-like inhibitors against multiple target amyloid-like proteins, Senexis has identified potent inhibitors that can selectively inhibit the formation and the effects of toxic species associated with specific amyloid-related diseases. Our optimised lead compounds for Alzheimer's disease have already shown pre-clinical efficacy in a variety of established models of memory and learning and we are currently:
-
Building a pipeline of drug development programmes for neurological (Alzheimer's disease) and systemic degenerative conditions (Inclusion Body Myositis); and
-
Developing the Company's composition-of-matter patent portfolio with a range of small molecule aggregation inhibitors, as well as inhibitors of amyloid-related inflammation for Alzheimer's disease.
Company History
Senexis was originally formed in 2001 to develop a series of patents on a peptide-based amyloid aggregation inhibitors. The Company's founders independently developed the inhibitors in Manchester and Cambridge but Senexis was then established in Prof. Andrew Doig's academic laboratory at UMIST in Manchester. Dr Mark Treherne joined the Company as Chief Executive, when it raised £1.4 million seed funding in November 2002 from BTG plc and the Wellcome Trust Limited (formerly Catalyst BioMedica Limited).
Senexis moved from academia to the Babraham Research Campus, near Cambridge in 2004, where it continued to build an experienced management team that is capable of taking compounds into clinical development, particularly when Dr Chris Moyses joined as Chairman and Dr David Scopes joined as Chief Scientific Officer. Subsequently, Senexis raised an additional £1 million early in 2006, followed by a further £0.8 million during 2007 to further develop its broad portfolio of potent and novel "small molecule" compounds, which are active in several established models of Alzheimer's disease. Drug-like small molecules are the focus of the Company's activities due to their oral bioavailability. In early 2008, Senexis raised a further £2.9 million to accelerate the Company's successful small-molecule aggregation inhibitor programmes. To date, Senexis has raised £6.3 million, including additional grant funding, and is now conducting development candidate selection studies.