22 April 2010

University spin-out company wins Queen´s Award

An innovative University of Sheffield spin-out company, made-up of experts in simulating how the body deals with new drugs in development, announced on Wednesday 21 April 2010 that it has won a Queen´s Award for Enterprise.

The company that spun-out of the University´s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 2001, has been given the accolade for its innovation, and the award reflects Simcyp´s continuous development of modelling and simulation software for evaluating drugs in the safety of a computer.

Simcyp´s technology enables pharmaceutical scientists to analyse how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolised and excreted in virtual populations of patients, prior to clinical trials in humans. By including extensive information on demographics, genetics, environmental factors and disease state, complex `real-life´ scenarios can be easily investigated including the likelihood and effects of drug-drug interactions.

The Simcyp Simulator helps pharmaceutical companies to take full advantage of routinely generated data in order to prioritise promising drug candidates earlier in development.

Simulations can also optimise the design of human trials; minimising unnecessary drug exposure to human volunteers and animals. This has significant cost and time-saving benefits in the development of new medicinal products.

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are the UK's most prestigious awards for business performance. The Awards are made each year by Her Majesty The Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister, assisted by an Advisory Committee of representatives of government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions.

This is the second accolade for the Sheffield-based company, which last year was ranked 15th on a list of the fastest-growing businesses in the UK. The firm has continued to expand, despite the tough economic climate and expects turnover to increase by a further 20 per cent this year.

Professor Geoff Tucker, Chairman and a founder of Simcyp and Emeritus Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Sheffield, said: "Since Simcyp was spun-out of the University´s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences 10 years ago, its innovative research and educational services have been at the forefront of establishing a seamless link between pre-clinical and clinical development in the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. We are delighted to receive the Queen´s Award and hope that it will encourage other enterprises emanating from the University."

Mr John Evans, Managing Director of Simcyp Limited, said: "It is an honour to receive the Queens´ Award in recognition of Simcyp´s ongoing innovative research and development. Our cutting-edge technology, together with the support and educational services we provide, ensure our continued and growing business relationships with the world´s major pharmaceutical and biotechnology organisations."