March 2009 - Celtic Catalysts opens UK process facility
Dublin based chemical development company Celtic Catalysts today announced the next phase of its ongoing expansion with the opening of its pilot-scale  process facility.  This facility, based in the former ICI production site in Redcar in the north-east of England will house the company’s large scale reactors and will enable the company to produce its range of products up to 250L scale.  Celtic Catalysts continues to house its R&D division in Dublin where it has access to state-of-the-art laboratories and analytical equipment.

Speaking about its newly opened UK facility, Celtic Catalysts chief executive Brian Kelly said: “This is another significant milestone in the development and expansion of Celtic Catalysts.  Our new production capabilities enable us to supply sizeable quantities of our own proprietary products and also means that we can now work with our contract R&D partners from milligram to tens of kilogram scale.”

Celtic Catalysts is a leading supplier of difficult to make chiral and non-chiral products to the Fine Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotech industries. Celtic Catalysts has developed a comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property and carved out uniquely strong niches for itself in the areas of asymmetric catalysis, phosphorus chemistry and process development.

October 2008 - Celtic Catalysts secures €500,000 investment
Celtic Catalysts, the award winning NovaUCD-based life sciences company, has secured €500,000 in funding from existing investor, 4th Level Ventures and private investors.

Celtic Catalysts has carved out a uniquely strong niche for itself in the specialised area of ‘P-chiral’ technology which enables global pharmaceutical companies manufacture drugs, particularly those in anti-viral and anti-cancer therapeutic areas, more cost effectively.

Celtic Catalysts was co-founded in 2000 by Professor Declan Gilheany and Dr Brian Kelly as a spin-out from UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. The company currently employs 17 people and is headquartered in NovaUCD the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at University College Dublin. Celtic Catalysts has now secured over €2.5 million in investment from 4th Level Ventures, Enterprise Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Business Expansion Scheme investors.

On securing this investment, Dr Brian Kelly, CEO, Celtic Catalysts said, “This investment will assist Celtic Catalysts in closing some very exciting near-term opportunities.” He added that “Due to further projected growth, the company will seek to raise additional capital to enable it to develop scale-up production facilities to manufacture bulk quantities of its products and to address additional high-value opportunities.”

Earlier this year Celtic Catalysts was presented with the NovaUCD 2008 Innovation Award in recognition of its successful commercialisation of chiral synthesis research which took place over many years at UCD. In addition it was the international winner of the ‘Rising Star Award’ at the BioIndustry Association (Scotland) Thistle Bioscience Forum 2008.

Ray Naughton, co-founder, 4th Level Ventures said, “Celtic Catalysts continues to perform to plan and this investment allows the company to achieve another critical milestone.”

Along with product sales, Celtic Catalysts has already signed several research alliance agreements with a number of multinational pharmaceutical companies. These research alliance agreements enable Celtic Catalysts utilise their expertise and technology to solve problems being encountered by pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the manufacture of their drugs.

May 2008 - Celtic Catalysts scoops NovaUCD 2008 Innovation Award
UCD spin-out company, Celtic Catalysts has won the NovaUCD 2008 Innovation Award. The award was presented to the company in recognition of its successful commercialisation of chiral synthesis research which took place in the UCD School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. This is the first time that a UCD spin-out company has won the award. Celtic Catalysts has developed technology which enables global pharmaceutical companies manufacture drugs, particularly in anti-viral and anti-cancer therapeutic areas more cost effectively.

“Celtic Catalysts is a really exciting spin-out company established to commercialise the output of UCD research,” said Dr Hugh Brady, President of UCD, who presented the award. “The generation of new high-tech ventures, such as Celtic Catalysts, is seen as one increasingly important measure of the impact of our research output on economic development in Ireland.”
The company was co-founded in 2000 by Professor Declan Gilheany and Dr Brian Kelly. Its focus is on the area of chiral synthesis and it has developed a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio and carved out a uniquely strong niche for itself in the specialised area of “P-chiral” technology. This technology can be used in the production of a range of drugs which are particularly prevalent in anti-viral and anti-cancer therapeutic areas.

Since 2004, Celtic Catalysts has secured €2 millionin investment from 4th Level Ventures, Enterprise Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta and the Business Expansion Scheme (BES). In addition it has secured two European Commission grants under the prestigious Marie Curie funding scheme. The company currently employs 17 people and is headquartered in NovaUCD the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at UCD.

In addition to product sales, Celtic Catalysts has already signed several research alliance agreements with a number of multinational pharmaceutical companies. These research alliance agreements enable Celtic Catalysts utilise their expertise and technology to solve problems being encountered by pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the manufacture of their drugs.
“Brian Kelly, a PhD student when the company was founded, is now the company’s CEO. He is an ideal role model for young researchers seeking the inspiration to establish and grow new knowledge-intensive enterprises,” said Dr Pat Frain, Director, NovaUCD.

Celtic Catalysts is currently in fundraising mode and plans to expand its workforce to over 30 people, mostly at PhD level, within the next two years, to occupy its own laboratory facilities to manufacture bulk quantities of its products in addition to securing alliances and to supply agreements with all major Pharma and fine chemical companies.

The NovaUCD Innovation Award was established in 2004 to highlight UCD’s commitment to innovation. The Award is presented annually to an individual, company or organisation in recognition of excellence in innovation or of success achieved in the commercialisation of UCD research or other intellectual activity. The previous award winners are Professor Ciaran Regan (2007), Professor Conor Heneghan (2006), Professor Barry Smyth (2005) and Professor Mark Rogers (2004). 

Celtic Catalysts is a leading supplier of chiral products and technology to the Fine Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotech industries. Celtic Catalysts focuses on the area of chiral synthesis and it has developed a comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property and carved out a uniquely strong niche for itself in the specialised area of P-chiral technology.  The company is commercialising chiral technology, developed over many years in UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.

Febuary 2008 - Celtic Catalysts wins "rising star award" at international biotech competition
Celtic Catalysts was among the four Irish biotech companies, all members of IBEC’s Irish BioIndustry Association (IBIA), who took part in the international “Rising Stars Showcase” competition along with 8 other companies from Scotland and Israel. Each of the participants pitched their companies and development strategies to a panel of experts and an invited audience before Celtic Catalysts was announced the overall winner after a confident and polished pitch.

Dr Brian Kelly and Professor Declan Gilheany co-founded Celtic Catalysts in 2000 as a spin-out from UCD’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Celtic Catalysts currently employs a staff of 17 and is headquartered in NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at UCD.

Celtic Catalysts’ focus is on the area of chiral synthesis and it has developed a comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property and carved out a uniquely strong niche for itself in the specialised area of P-chiral technology. This technology can be used in the production of a range of drugs which are particularly prevalent in anti-viral and anti-cancer therapeutic areas.

Commenting on the win, Dr Brian Kelly, CEO said, “Celtic Catalysts is delighted to have won this international award. It is a wonderful endorsement of the tremendous hard work of our team over many years to develop and build our IP portfolio and our strategy of translating that portfolio into a dynamic and growing business of international reach.”

The IBIA is the leading representative body for the biotechnology industry in Ireland. Celtic Catalysts and the three other Irish companies who took part in this competition; BiancaMed, which is also based in NovaUCD, EnBio and Luxcel Biosciences are all working on pioneering technologies which will ultimately improve the health and wellbeing of people all around the globe.

Eleanor Garvey, chair of IBIA and Site Leader in Pfizer Ireland, Dún Laoghaire, said, “It is extremely encouraging to see Celtic Catalysts an Irish biotech company win an internationally competition of this calibre.” She added, “Ireland continues to punch well above its weight at a global level and it is important that indigenous Irish companies have the necessary supports to attain their commercial potential.”

January 2008 - Celtic Catalysts Appoints New CEO
Dr Brian Kelly has been appointed CEO of NovaUCD-based Celtic Catalysts. He replaces current CEO Brian Elliott who has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. Celtic Catalysts is a leading supplier of chiral products and technology to the Fine Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotech industries.  

Dr Brian Kelly and Professor Declan Gilheanny co-founded Celtic Catalysts in 2000 as a spin-out from UCD's School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Brian graduated from University College Dublin in 2000 with a PhD in chiral chemistry. He has been Celtic Catalysts' Director of Business Development since then. Celtic Catalysts currently employs 17 and is headquartered in NovaUCD, the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at UCD.  

Celtic Catalysts focuses on the area of chiral synthesis and has developed a comprehensive portfolio of intellectual property and has carved out a uniquely strong niche for itself in the specialised area of P-chiral technology. This technology can be used in the production of a range of phosphorus nucleotide drugs - which are particularly prevalent in anti-viral and anti-cancer therapeutic areas. Celtic Catalysts undertakes its own in house research and development programmes and works with several major pharma companies in developing new synthetic routes to manufacture existing drugs or drugs in development.