Physiomics Regulatory News (PYC)

23 Jun 2009 07:00



Physiomics plc ("Physiomics" or "the Company")

Update on EC funded TEMPO project - Achievement of Milestone

Physiomics plc (AIM: PYC), the Oxford, UK based systems biology company, is pleased to announce a successful evaluation, by the European Commission, of the results from the second year of the research program "TEMPO". Following this successful review, the European Commission have agreed that the 3 year "TEMPO" project can continue into its final year as specified in the original grant proposal. 

The three year "TEMPO" programme was established to explore the effect of circadian rhythms (the "body clock") on changes in cancer cell proliferation and the effectiveness of cancer drugs in order to devise optimal treatment regimens for individual cancer patients. Physiomics is using its cell simulation technologies to study the effect of anti-cancer drugs on the cell cycle/circadian clock both at the cellular level and at the tissue level (by creating a "virtual tumour"). Together with software to simulate drug concentrations, Physiomics is endeavouring to establish new optimal drug schedules which could be commercially exploited by the Company.

Following the approval by the European Commission, a third tranche of pre-financing to fund the next stage of the research, has been received by the Company (a total value of €42,230 (approximately £35,000)). This follows, as mentioned in a previous announcement in May 2008, €88,480 (approximately £74,000) of initial pre-financing that has been irrevocably granted to the Company in consideration of the first year expenses and a second tranche of pre-financing that has been received the Company for a total value of €87,840 (approximately £74,000).

Dr Christophe Chassagnole, COO of Physiomics, said:

"We are delighted with the progress that we have made during the TEMPO project by developing our simulations to take into account the effect of the time of day on the response to anti-cancer drugs. Following a highly encouraging reception from the scientific community at recent conferences, we consider the technological developments to be a major extension to our capability."

For further information:

About TEMPO project (LSHG-CT-2006-037543)

In 2006, Physiomics was selected to participate in the TEMPO Project as one of four Industry partners working closely with four distinguished European academic research groups. The project is coordinated by INSERM unit director Prof Francis Levi, at Paul Brousse hospital in Villejuif (France). TEMPO is a STREP project funded in part by the European Commission through its Life Sciences and Health Sixth Framework programme.

This three year programme is exploring the effect of circadian rhythms (the "body clock") on changes in cell proliferation and the effectiveness of anticancer drugs and the knowledge will be used to optimise treatment. The aim is to optimise treatment to individual patients by taking into account the 24 hour rhythms generated by the patient's individual biological clock. Physiomics is using its cell simulation technologies to study the effect of anticancer drugs on the cell cycle/circadian clock at the cellular level, the cell population level ("virtual Fluorescence-Activated Cell-Sorting experiment") and the tissue level ("virtual tumour"). Using simulations of pharmacokinetics in conjunction with pharmacodynamics, Physiomics will help establish one or more physiologically relevant drug regimens and delivery schedules.

Physiomics will receive approximately €254,000 of matched funding over the three year period and if successful will share in 3 to 5 new therapeutic schedules for 2 main drug classes against colorectal cancer. TEMPO also develops tools that will enable it to select the best administration schedule for anticancer drugs, taking into account the gene expression profiles of the patient. Under temporal control of the drug administration, the efficacy as well as the toxicity will be controlled in an optimised manner.

For further information, please visit www.chrono-tempo.org

About Physiomics plc

Physiomics (AIM:PYC) is a computational systems biology services company applying simulations of cell behaviour to drug development to reduce the high attrition rates of clinical trials. As 80-90 per cent of all clinical drug candidates fail to reach the market, estimates1 show that an overall ten per cent improvement in success rates could reduce the cost of one drug's development by as much as $242 million, from the current estimate of around $800 million.

Physiomics develops computational systems biology models to predict and understand cancer drug efficacy from pre-clinical research to clinical development. Physiomics has created detailed mathematical models incorporating the most important molecular events taking place during the human cell cycle and apoptosis processes. The company's SystemCell® technology enables the simulation of populations of "virtual cells". The models are used to optimise compound design, as well as to design drug schedules and combination therapies

Physiomics, based in Oxford, UK, was founded in 2001, and floated on AIM in 2004. For further information, please visit www.physiomics-plc.com

SystemCell® is a registered trademark of Physiomics plc

1Tufts Centre Impact Report 2002