CAMBRIDGE, England & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bicycle Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: BCYC), a pharmaceutical company pioneering a new and differentiated class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle®) technology, today announced the appointment of three new distinguished global oncology experts to its Clinical Advisory Board (CAB) to support the advancement of the company’s clinical oncology programs.
“We are delighted to welcome Skip, Markus and Niklas to our Clinical Advisory Board. Each of them has dedicated their careers to advancing the care of patients with cancer through the development of novel therapeutics,” said Bicycle Therapeutics CEO Kevin Lee, Ph.D. “Their expertise will provide invaluable guidance and insights for the global development of our clinical oncology programs as we work to develop our precision-targeted therapies for the benefit of patients around the world.”
The new CAB members are as follows:
Howard A. “Skip” Burris, III, M.D., serves as president and chief medical officer of Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), one of the world’s leading oncology research organizations conducting community-based clinical trials. At SCRI, he has focused on the development of new cancer agents with an emphasis on first-in-human therapies, having led the trials of many novel antibodies, small molecules and chemotherapies that are now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and have changed the standard of care for several types of cancers. As a well-respected key opinion leader globally, Dr. Burris was elected by his peers to serve as the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and has continued to hold several leadership positions on behalf of the ASCO community. Prior to his term as president, Dr. Burris served in a variety of leadership roles over many years, including the ASCO Board of Governors, ASCO Audit Committee and as chair of the ASCO Nominating Committee. Currently, he is chair of the Board for the ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation.
Markus Eckstein, M.D., is a board-certified senior consultant pathologist at the University Hospital Erlangen (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg). His clinical interests are centered around genitourinary pathology, immunopathology and predictive molecular pathology. Dr. Eckstein leads a translational research group focusing on systems immunology in cancer and deciphering the targetable surface proteome for future drug development of antigen-specific drug conjugates. Dr. Eckstein is a fellow of the German Society of Pathology, the International Academy of Pathology and the European Association of Urology (EAU), where he also serves as a board member of the EAU section of uropathology and the EAU section of urological research.
Niklas Klümper, M.D., is a senior consultant for Urology & Genitourinary (GU) Oncology at the University Hospital Bonn, where he leads a translational uro-oncology research group focusing on advancing precision oncology. His specific interests include the development of drug conjugates, with a broader goal of tailoring treatments to the unique molecular profiles and disease characteristics of patients. Dr. Klümper is a thought leader in the use of NECTIN4 gene amplification and membranous protein expression as predictive markers for anti-NECTIN4 therapy response, a promising approach to improve patient stratification.
About Bicycle Therapeutics
Bicycle Therapeutics is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing a novel class of medicines, referred to as Bicycle® molecules, for diseases that are underserved by existing therapeutics. Bicycle molecules are fully synthetic short peptides constrained with small molecule scaffolds to form two loops that stabilize their structural geometry. This constraint facilitates target binding with high affinity and selectivity, making Bicycle molecules attractive candidates for drug development. The company is evaluating zelenectide pevedotin (formerly BT8009), a Bicycle® Toxin Conjugate (BTC®) targeting Nectin-4, a well-validated tumor antigen; BT5528, a BTC molecule targeting EphA2, a historically undruggable target; and BT7480, a Bicycle Tumor-Targeted Immune Cell Agonist® (Bicycle TICA®) targeting Nectin-4 and agonizing CD137, in company-sponsored clinical trials. Additionally, the company is developing Bicycle Radionuclide Conjugates (BRC®) for radiopharmaceutical use and, through various partnerships, is exploring the use of Bicycle® technology to develop therapies for diseases beyond oncology.
Bicycle Therapeutics is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with many key functions and members of its leadership team located in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.bicycletherapeutics.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “goal,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “possible,” “potential,” “seeks,” “will” and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Bicycle’s development of zelenectide pevedotin, BT5528 and BT7480 as well as potential radiopharmaceutical product candidates; the guidance and insights provided by members of the Clinical Advisory Board; and the use of Bicycle’s technology through various partnerships to develop potential therapies in diseases beyond oncology. Bicycle may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including: uncertainties inherent in research and development and in the initiation, progress and completion of clinical trials and clinical development of Bicycle’s oncology programs; the risk that Bicycle may not realize the intended benefits of its technology or partnerships; timing of results from clinical trials; whether the outcomes of preclinical studies will be predictive of clinical trial results; the risk that trials may have unsatisfactory outcomes; potential adverse effects arising from the testing or use of Bicycle’s product candidates; the risk that the members of the Clinical Advisory Board do not provide guidance or insights; and other important factors, any of which could cause Bicycle’s actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, are described in greater detail in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Bicycle’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on October 31, 2024, as well as in other filings Bicycle may make with the SEC in the future. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Bicycle expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether because of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.
