Cytel Opens Manufacturing Facility
Just two weeks after receiving a patent on its proprietary sugar nucleotide cycling manufacturing technology (See related article), Cytel Corp. (San Diego, CA) has opened a new 10,000 square foot facility in San Diego to exploit the technology on which this patent is based. The plant's main focus will be commercial manufacture of Cytel's lead therapeutic compound, Cylexin, and other carbohydrate products. The new manufacturing and quality control site will enable Cytel to manufacture, process, freeze dry, and test large quantities of Cylexin, all under one roof. The grand opening ribbon cutting event will be held today (June 2).
The plant enhances Cytel's carbohydrate manufacturing business, trademarked Glytec. Jim Paulson, Cytel's chief scientific officer and general manager of Glytec, said that "With this added site, we are now prepared to manufacture Cylexin in the quantities necessary for the completion of clinical trials and a commercial product launch. In addition, our Glytec business unit will use the facility to manufacture carbohydrate products using Cytel's novel SNC technology for corporate partners such as Baxter Healthcare's Nextran unit."
Cylexin, a small molecule carbohydrate compound, is currently in Phase II/III clinical registration trials for the treatment of reperfusion injury in infants undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery for the repair of heart defects. Cytel anticipates enrollment in the trial to be completed by the end of 1998.
In September 1996, Cytel entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Nextran for the development and manufacture of an alpha-galactose carbohydrate product. The product is currently in preclinical development at Nextran for the treatment of hyperacute rejection associated with xenotransplantation, a procedure involving the transplant of animal organs into human recipients. In December 1997, the agreement was expanded to include the development and supply of additional carbohydrate products for similar uses.
Sugar Nucleotide Cycling (SNC) technology is used for the assembly of complex and specific bioactive carbohydrates on a commercial scale and is also useful for synthetic remodeling of carbohydrates or recombinant glycoproteins. The technology imitates the natural carbohydrate synthesis process requiring a cascade of chemical reactions initiated by specialized enzymes. SNC is more time- and cost-effective than chemical synthesis technologies.
For more information: Virgil Thompson, President and CEO, Cytel Corp., 3525 John Hopkins Ct., San Diego, CA 92121. Tel: 619-552-3000.
Edited by Angelo DePalma