Summit Therapeutics has recently taken a new unit at Milton Park.

The drug discovery and development company, which initially moved to the park in 2005, has taken a 6,780 sq ft unit at 136a Eastern Avenue. This is the third time that Summit Therapeutics has moved at Milton Park, demonstrating the company’s continued growth and evolution over the past 10 years as it advances its pipeline of investigational new medicines.

The new site will enable the approximate 45-strong company to recruit further to continue its focus on developing a treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare and fatal genetic disease, and advancing a new antibiotic for the treatment of infections caused by the bacteria Clostridium difficile.

As part of its global growth strategy, Summit Therapeutics opened offices in Cambridge Massachusetts, USA in 2014, which supports them in carrying out global clinical trials and providing access to an important international market.

The news comes as the company recently announced that it will proceed with the planned extension phase of PhaseOut DMD, a Phase 2 clinical trial for its utrophin modulation programme, which is a potential disease-modifying approach to treat all patients with DMD. It also recently reported positive Phase 2 data on its C. difficile antibiotic with these results published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases in April 2017.

James Dipple, CEO, MEPC said: “Summit Therapeutics is an extremely dedicated group of researchers and its work is a vital contribution to our scientific community. We are very pleased to be part of the company’s growth and to be giving them the opportunity to continue their ground-breaking research. Their expansion is testament to the nurturing environment we have worked hard to create at Milton Park. We look forward to seeing them thrive in years to come.”

Glyn Edwards, Chief Executive Officer, Summit Therapeutics added: “Milton Park’s location within the UK biotechnology community provides the ideal environment for Summit to undertake its development of innovative treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and C. difficile infection. We are pleased to have found new premises that will support our continued growth as we advance our programmes through clinical trials and towards patients and their families.”