New Path Molecular is delighted to announce the closing of a seed round to fund the proof of concept for our phosphatidylserine targeting cancer therapy. The round was lead by previous investors Deepbridge Capital. The team are delighted to be pushing forward this project which was started in collaboration with the late Prof Michael Wakelham.
Prof Michael Wakelam
The team at New Path are sad to hear that collaborator Prof Michael Wakelham has died as a result of complications of suspected covid infection. He was an outstanding scientist, a lovely man and will be missed by everyone who had the good fortune to know him. Click here for an obiturary describing his contributions to science and education.
New Path Welcomes New Advisor Pam Brown to the Team
New Path is pleased to welcome Pamela Brown to the team as a scientific advisor to our lanthipeptide antibiotics project. Pam has over 35 years experience in anti-infective drug discovery, the majority gained at GSK, where she held team leadership roles in medicinal chemistry. More recently Pam was Director of Chemistry at Cantab Anti-infectives, where the team delivered a candidate which is now being progressed to the clinic. Pam has published on the design and synthesis of antibacterial agents in a wide variety of classes. Pam holds a degree in Chemistry from Imperial College and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
New Path and Prof Wakelam Win Funding for Cancer Project
New Path Molecular and Prof Michael Wakelam, Director of the Babraham Institute, have been awarded funding from the Babraham Campus Collaboration Fund to investigate interactions between lanthipeptides and cancer cell membranes. This fund supports the development of collaborative partnerships, with commercial potential, between Babraham Institute researchers and companies on Campus. It will finance translational studies and staff exchanges to facilitate the pump priming of future collaborative grant applications and the transfer of knowledge, skills and technology within the Babraham Research Campus.
The aim of the study will be to investigate interactions between lipids in cancer cell membranes and lanthipeptides. The composition of the cell wall of cancer cells is abnormal relative to normal cells and targeting this may unlock a route to selective cancer therapies.
We are excited to be able to access Prof Wakelam’s deep understanding of lipid membranes and to pair it with New Path’s expertise in the synthesis of lanthipeptide based functional molecules.