Blog: From molecule to medicine

Maya Angelou once said — 'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.' That is so true in life, and at Cyclica, the partnerships we try to establish are guided by this quote. Companies remember how the interaction went, as well as the science we worked on together. At Cyclica, our partnership model is one that is unique - this is for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to: our neo-biotech business model, our scientific differentiation and our ‘patients before profit’ ethos. When a company explores a partnership with Cyclica, it's initially because they are interested in our science and technology, but their first interaction is with our people. So, how we make the partner feel at that first meeting, virtually or in person, really sets the foundation; are we listening, are we trying to understand their scientific problems? Isn't that what all companies do? We hope so, but the science within our unique proteome-wide platform, MatchMaker™ means we come across uncharted scientific problems often. That makes listening to understand even more vital. Why? Well, MatchMaker™ allows us to open up >90% of the undrugged proteome with >75% success in identifying novel hits. This capability was aptly demonstrated in the work we carried out with the SGC (Structural Genomics Consortium) where for the first time a co-crystallized structure of DCAF1 was generated with one of the molecules identified through MatchMaker™. That success means that (to paraphrase a famous TV show and film) ‘We are boldly going where no person has gone before’. So, to embark on such a journey, you want to do it with people who ‘have your back’, that will try their best and that you believe that they will. At Cyclica, we try to help our partners build that trust in us so we can explore the “dark proteome” and shine a light identifying possible novel therapeutics for patients. As a neo-biotech company with a unique platform, this enables us to investigate protein targets represented in the “dark proteome” which represent >90% of the opportunity in drug discovery at scale. This opens up the possibility of partnering with leading scientists all over the world who have cutting-edge drug discovery capabilities. Expanding our global footprint also helps to successfully build trust in different cultures. However, building trust takes time and could take multiple conversations. Strong partnerships take investment and time to maintain (once established). In addition, it is important to be able to provide support to partners once projects are completed. The establishment of the relationships come primarily from meetings with the Strategic Partnership Team. The name is deliberate; we are not the Business Development team or a Commercial team. We are signalling how we work and how we want to work. We Partner, in ways that work best for the partner, and means the company we are working with will need to invest their time on the project. This isn’t a transactional relationship. This is a partnership, where the more we work together the better the outcome will most likely be. Once the work on a scientific project begins, then our Partner Success team takes the lead. They are the champions for the partner within Cyclica. They advocate for the partner, follow up with them to ensure their needs are met and that the partner is kept up-to-date on the progress. The team’s accountability is in the name. For Cyclica, when the scientific work finishes, the partnership continues. We ask that the Partner shares their data with us. We review the outcomes together and we discuss what, if anything, could be done to help further. This step matters because the sharing of the scientific outcomes together helps us all better understand potential next steps. It also matters because if we haven’t achieved any hits in the first application of MatchMaker™ (which does happen, this isn’t a silver bullet) we make the commitment to try again. We are trying to leave the partner with something that is useful for their science to move forward with. This is one way we show that we ‘have their back’. Partnering matters for us at Cyclica. When we meet with potential partners, we listen to understand, we champion for you when we work together, and we will try and leave you with something that is useful to you. We try to walk with you to discover the medicines of tomorrow. So, at the completion of a project, you remember us for what we achieved for you and how we made you feel. If you’re interested in learning more about how we partner, go to our Partnership page here. Authors: Dr. Vern De Biasi, Chief Partnership Officer, Dr. Helen Petropoulos, Senior Partnership Manager, and Dr. Fatme Dahcheh, Strategic Partnership Manager

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