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Celtic Catalysts, is an innovative chemical development spin-out company from UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. The company was founded by Dr Brian Kelly and Professor Declan Gilheany.
Summary
Celtic Catalysts is an innovative chemical development company which is focusing on providing its end-user clients and partners in the Pharmaceutical and Fine Chemicals Industry with pioneering chemistry for asymmetric synthesis. The company is commercialising chiral technology which has been developed over many years in UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
Dr Brian Kelly and Professor Delcan Gilheany
Markets
Celtic Catalysts’ focus is on a niche area known as chiral chemistry or chiral technology. The word ‘chiral’ (pron. ky-ral) comes from the Greek word ‘cheir’ meaning ‘hand’. About 75% of all drugs in pharmaceutical pipelines are what is known as ‘handed’ or chiral compounds. This means that on a molecular level the drugs can exist in mirror image forms – just as one’s left hand is a mirror image of the right hand. The current market for these types of drugs is estimated at approx $200 billion.
In the ordinary course of events, each hand of such drug molecules is synthesised in equal amounts. However each handed molecule can interact with receptors in the human body in a very different way to its mirror-image counterpart.
Sometimes this phenomenon of chirality can lead to disastrous side effects, with certain drugs. In order to avoid such problems, pharmaceutical companies are now required to make and test each hand of their chiral drugs. Manufacturing drugs in single-handed forms is not a trivial matter. An efficient way would be to make only the one hand of the drug that is required. Using chiral catalysts in the drug manufacturing process is the best way of doing this. However chiral catalysts are not easy to develop, especially those that can be used on an industrial scale.
Product/Services
Celtic Catalysts is focusing on providing its end-user clients and partners in the Pharmaceutical and Fine Chemicals Industry with pioneering chemistry for asymmetric synthesis. Specifically the company is focused on chiral ligands, chiral catalysts and chiral building blocks.
In addition to processing a high-level of practical expertise in synthesis and process development the company's key strengths are in the application of both public domain and proprietary asymmetric catalytic technology to optimise reaction efficiency and product purity.
Executive Team
The executive team comprises Brian Elliott (Chairman of the Board), Dr Brian Kelly (CEO), Professor Declan Gilheany (Chief Scientific Advisor), John Fullen (CFO) and Kevin Dalton (Sales Director).
Major Achievements / Awards
| 2008 | Celtic Catalysts wins the “Rising Star Award” at the BioIndustry Association (Scotland) Thistle Bioscience Forum 2008 |
| Dr Brian Kelly appointed CEO | |
| 2006 | Celtic Catalysts announces plans to double employment |
| Celtic Catalysts launches its first products | |
2005 |
Dr Brian Kelly finalist in Shell Livewire 2005 Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. |
| Celtic Catalysts signs exclusive license deal with Questor Technologies, a spin-out from Queen’s University and Dartmouth College, USA and enters collaboration with Essential Science, a UK-based company. | |
2004 |
Celtic Catalysts secures strategic investment of €655,000 from 4th Level Ventures and Enterprise Ireland. |
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