About

Sygnature Discovery is a leading centre of excellence for integrated drug discovery, offering significant know-how and expertise across a broad range of therapeutic areas and biological target classes.

More than 80% of Sygnature’s scientists possess a PhD and about 40% have been recruited from outside of the UK.  Many of Sygnature’s research scientists bring considerable pharmaceutical industry drug discovery experience which is applied to every research project we undertake for our clients.

Sygnature Discovery’s dynamic blend of youth and experience in our research scientists is further enhanced through our unique approach to laboratory working – Sygnature’s medicinal chemists, in vitro biologists and DMPK scientists, are co-located on the same research site in the same laboratories to efficiently advance our clients’ drug discovery projects into pre-clinical development.  This synergistic approach to drug discovery has delivered an admirable track record of success with 29 clinical candidates being delivered to our clients since 2011.

Key areas of expertise include oncology and immuno-oncology, neuroscience, inflammation and immunology, metabolic diseases, anti-infectives, orphan indications and respiratory disorders, across a broad range of therapeutic targets, including GPCRs, nuclear hormone receptors, kinases, epigenetic, ion channels, proteases and protein–protein interactions.

The Facts at a Glance

• Founded in 2004 in BioCity Nottingham
• Integrated drug discovery company

• Research scientists are co-located in modern well-equipped labs in our
  purpose-built HQ and research facility
• Additional laboratories in Alderley Park, UK and office facility in Cambridge, Massachusetts opened in 2018

• Private equity-backed company
  • Financially stable
  • Senior management team are co-investors
  • Investment is funding expansion of capabilities and capacity
  • Ambitious future growth plans

Sygnature brings expertise and innovation to a range of drug discovery projects – from fully integrated programmes to those which are focused on medicinal chemistry, in vitro biology/screening, computational chemistry, DMPK, physical sciences or exploratory toxicology. This flexible approach is tailored to meet the specific requirements of the customer and provide a fully project managed solution.

We work transparently and collaboratively – we are your team at Sygnature Discovery.

Our Name

When the company was founded in August 2004 to provide medicinal and synthetic chemistry services, it was known as Sygnature Chemical Services. In September 2011, when our Bioscience department was created, the company was renamed Sygnature Discovery to better reflect our capability to design, make and test novel compounds in an integrated fashion during the drug discovery process. Sygnature is a combination of ‘synthesis’ and ‘nature’ to allude to the ‘green chemistry’ that was part of the inspiration for Dr Simon Hirst founding the organisation. With a now more mature brand, we believe Sygnature Discovery represents a unique and distinct way to operate and do business which benefits our staff, our clients and ultimately patients.