Cyclacel and MRC geneservice set to distribute Drosophila RNAi set

Cyclacel Limited, the UK-based biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it had entered into an agreement with MRC geneservice for the distribution of its proprietary Drosophila RNA interference (RNAi) collection. This agreement will allow access for MRC geneservice’s academic and commercial clients to the Cyclacel collection, for gene identification and validation purposes.

The Cyclacel Drosophila RNAi set covers some 13,605 genes defined in the FlyBase Drosophila genome database. The set was produced by Cyclacel’s Polgen Division during a programme to identify novel genes involved in mitosis. Cyclacel scientists are currently validating the genes identified in the screen and assessing their suitability as drug targets. These will be either exploited by Cyclacel through its proven rational drug design capabilities or may be outlicensed to biotechnology or pharmaceutical partners as potential druggable candidates.

Dr Graham Bell General Manager of the Polgen Division said “We have established an efficient automated high throughput screening system to very quickly knockout each gene in the Drosophila genome in a highly specific manner. Cyclacel’s initial focus on screening for mitotic genes has identified over 100 potential targets for cancer therapy. Genes involved in specific functions and therapeutic areas can be identified using appropriate screens. We are currently seeking partners who are interested in using this validated system to form highly productive research collaborations.”

MRC geneservice, a commercially focused resource centre within the Medical Research Council, will distribute the Cyclacel RNAi set worldwide. Aliquots of PCR products spanning the entire gene collection and from which dsRNA can be derived will be available first, but MRC geneservice also intends to produce and distribute dsRNA that can be used directly in gene knock-down experiments. The Drosophila resource represents the second “whole-genome” RNAi product for MRC geneservice, the first being a Caenorhabditis elegans RNAi library that has been successfully distributed to many laboratories over the world and has led to many important published discoveries.

Dr Tom Weaver, Chief Executive of MRC geneservice said “We welcome this partnership with Cyclacel since it provides unrestricted access to an invaluable resource for both academic and commercial research communities. The RNAi enabling technology will enhance their discovery programs through the systematic screening of gene function in a proven model organism. RNA interference libraries are a good example of the type of resource that we are encouraging our research partners to develop and make accessible, since we feel that they will play an increasingly vital role in biological research over the coming years.”