CAMBRIDGE, England & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bicycle Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: BCYC), a biotechnology company pioneering a new and differentiated class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle®) technology, today announced the appointment of Dominic Smethurst, MA, MBChB, MRCP, MFPM as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Smethurst brings to Bicycle extensive expertise in developing bispecific immuno-oncology agents, as well as toxin conjugate therapeutics for cancer and other serious diseases.
“Given his in-depth knowledge of conventional and disruptive therapeutic modalities, we believe Dominic is uniquely qualified to guide development of Bicycles as potential solutions to many of the limitations faced by small molecule and antibody-based medicines,” said Kevin Lee, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Bicycle Therapeutics. “Dominic will be responsible for designing and driving execution of the clinical development plans for our pipeline candidates, all of which currently represent possible first-in-class or best-in-class therapies. Dominic adds a critical capability to our senior leadership team, and we are pleased to welcome him to Bicycle.”
“Bicycles are an innovative technology that could lead to potentially game-changing new treatments for diseases where existing medicines are inadequate,” said Dominic Smethurst, MA, MBChB, MRCP, MFPM, Chief Medical Officer of Bicycle Therapeutics. “Joining the company presents me with an unparalleled opportunity to advance therapeutic candidates that could potentially shift the treatment paradigm for patients suffering from a wide range of severe medical conditions. I look forward to working closely with Kevin and the rest of the Bicycle team to deliver on the promise of such a potentially impactful new modality.”
Dr. Dominic Smethurst has over twenty years of experience working with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, clinical research institutions, and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). He was most recently a medical consultant, advising biopharma companies on clinical development strategies and licensing projects. Prior to that, he served as Chief Medical Officer of Tusk Therapeutics, an immuno-oncology company acquired by Roche, where he oversaw development of antibodies targeting CD25 and CD137, among others. Previously, as Vice President Oncology and Global Therapeutic Area Lead at Icon, a global contract research organization, he executed clinical trials involving numerous novel cancer treatments, including CAR-T therapies. Prior to that, Dr. Smethurst held physician leadership roles at AstraZeneca, Amgen and Adaptimmune. Dr. Smethurst is a Member of both the Royal College of Physicians and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine. He earned an MBChB with Distinction from Addenbrooke’s Clinical School Cambridge, as well as an MA from Christ’s College Cambridge.
About Bicycle Therapeutics
Bicycle Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BCYC) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a novel class of medicines, referred to as Bicycles®, for diseases that are underserved by existing therapeutics. Bicycles 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 Bicycles attractive candidates for drug development. Bicycle’s lead product candidate, BT1718, a Bicycle Toxin Conjugate (BTC) that targets MT1-MMP, is being investigated in an ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial in collaboration with the Centre for Drug Development of Cancer Research UK. Bicycle is also evaluating BT5528, a second-generation BTC targeting EphA2, in a Company-sponsored Phase I/II study. Bicycle is headquartered in Cambridge, UK with many key functions and members of its leadership team located in Lexington, MA. For more information, visit bicycletherapeutics.com.