31 October 2019 - - UK-based biotechnology company Bicycle Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: BCYC) has appointed Nigel Crockett, Ph.D., as the company's chief business officer, replacing Peter Leone, the company said.

Crockett has more than 25 years of experience in global business development for biopharmaceutical companies.

Crockett was most recently a founding partner at Tukan Partners, Ltd., a business consultancy specializing in biotechnology.

Prior to Tukan, he held commercial and business development roles within the life sciences sector, including as vice president, Business Development at Astex Therapeutics, a Cambridge, UK-based company focused on drug discovery and development for oncology and central nervous system disorders.

Crockett has executed more than 50 major in- and out-licensing deals as well as several company acquisitions. He earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Cambridge University and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Manchester.

Bicycle Therapeutics 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, is a Bicycle Toxin Conjugate being investigated in an ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial in collaboration with the Centre for Drug Development of Cancer Research UK. Bicycle is headquartered in Cambridge, UK with many key functions and members of its leadership team located in Lexington, MA.