AOX Therapeutics Ltd targeting free radicals in disease

Company Origins

Antoxis’ unique approach to the rational design of cell-targeted, therapeutic antioxidants developed from the Rowett Research Institute’s internationally-recognised program on plant-derived antioxidants, such as flavonoids.

Novel methods to determine the antioxidant potency of oil and water-soluble phytochemicals, using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, provided a unique insight into the critical relationship between molecular structure and antioxidant activity. These approaches were further complemented by studies in cellular models of oxidative stress that highlighted additional structural features essential for bioactivity.

A proof-of-concept study, funded by Scottish Enterprise, established a collaboration between the Rowett Institute and the University of Glasgow, bringing into play the medicinal chemistry expertise of Dr Richard Hartley. This resulted in the synthesis of the AO-1 family of compounds in the Antoxis pipeline.

Importantly, we established that natural polyphenolic antioxidants could be modified, using a rational design approach, to increase antioxidant potency and delivery to critical locations within the cell. Lead structures are now in pre-clinical trials.

Antoxis was founded in March 2005 to commercially-exploit these proprietary platform technologies and drive forward further novel antioxidant drug design concepts with applicability to a range of conditions of significant unmet medical need.

Management

Chairman
Nelson Gray (NXD) is a Chartered Accountant, business angel investor, mentor, non-executive director and fund manager. He has been involved in a wide range of companies as diverse as PCB and biotech manufacturing, diagnostic platforms, software, medical devices, call centres, printing and construction. He has been the fund manager of Scotland's leading angel investment syndicate and investment funds, of Gap Fund Managers on behalf of Noble, the independent investment bank, and remained a consultant with Noble Fund Managers (NFM) until March 2006. NFM manage six investment funds ranging in size between £10m and £100m. Nelson has made over 20 personal "angel" investments in new and developing companies and has acted as a consultant to investors, entrepreneurs and government departments in a number of countries, including Chile, USA, Sweden, Holland, Estonia, Latvia and Bulgaria. Nelson holds a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors, and is a UK Financial Services Authority registered Investment Manager and Adviser.

Chief Executive Officer
Scott Johnstone (Director) is a company founder and Life Science Business Advisor and Outcome manager for the Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept programme. Most recently he has worked as interim CEO with a veterinary diagnostics spin-out company from the University of Glasgow and several other projects involving the commercialisation of early stage technology. From 1998 to April 2004 he was a Managing Director and co-founder of YAbA Ltd and secured over £ 2.5 M of venture capital to develop and manufacture human and veterinary diagnostic products. He has gained extensive technology transfer and R&D experience with Fisons (UK), Kevex (California) and ARL (Switzerland). He holds an Honours Degree in Engineering from Napier University and a MBA in Business Administration from Edinburgh University. Scott is a committee member of the BIA (Scotland)

Chief Scientific Officer
Donald McPhail (Director) is a company founder and an inventor of in-licensed patent. He is a specialist in free radical and antioxidant research and has developed internationally-recognised methods to determine the antioxidant capacity of food products and the relationship between chemical structure and antioxidant activity. With over 50 peer-reviewed journal publications he has been a member of four EU Commission Scientific Steering Committees. He holds an Honours Degree in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh and was a recent recipient of a Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellowship.

Legal Advisor Malcolm Gillies (NXD) is a senior corporate finance partner in Shepherd+ Wedderburn. He combines this with several Board appointments including, as a director of Trading Emissions plc (listed on AIM) and as Company Secretary of Axis-Shield plc (listed on the London and Oslo Stock Exchanges). He has over 30 years in-depth practical experience as a commercial lawyer working both in the UK and abroad.

Director of Drug Development Leslie Patmore brings more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry in a range of research and management roles both in CRO and pharmaceutical companies. He is currently Managing Director of Aptuit Consulting Inc., the consulting division of Aptuit, a global drug development services company. Dr. Patmore was formerly Vice President of Preclinical Sciences and Pharmaceutical Analysis at Quintiles (Europe). At Syntex Pharmaceuticals for 15 years, and with Roche briefly following the acquisition of Syntex in 1995, he has held positions in discovery research, safety assessment and as a leader of drug development programs, including Director of Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Patmore holds an Honorary Research Fellowship in the Department of Medicine at Edinburgh University and serves as a Board Director of the Safety Pharmacology Society.

Company Secretary
Keth Winton was formerly a research chemist at the University of St Andrews, then moved into a role involving the commercialisation of research from the University of Edinburgh. With this experience, Keith progressed into the management of seed and pre-seed funds investing in technologies emerging from a number of the universities and research institutes based in the East of Scotland. One of these, the Genomia Fund, was the first investor in Antoxis. He is a member of the Boards of, and/or provides business assistance to, a number of the companies supported through the funds he manages.