Magdalene Boat Club Signs Up High-Growth Local Drug Developer RxCelerate as Headline Sponsor on a Five-Year Deal

Training on the Cam

​​​Magdalene Boat Club, the rowing club at Magdalene College, Cambridge, announced today that it had signed a sponsorship agreement with RxCelerate, a rapidly-growing international out-sourced drug discovery company headquartered on the Babraham Research Campus, just south of Cambridge.

“We are delighted to have forged this new partnership between two organizations that share a desire to be best-in-class, through commitment to the same core values of inclusivity, honesty, effort and excellence,” said Henry Reynolds, President of Magdalene Boat Club.

“Success at rowing and drug development both depend to an unusually high degree on teamwork,” said Dr. Jill Reckless, CEO of RxCelerate. “So it makes perfect sense for RxCelerate to choose a rowing club to support in this way. We are really excited to become the headline sponsor for Magdalene Boat Club as they enjoy one of the most successful periods in their history.”

Founded in 1828, Magdalene Boat Club has frequently put out strong crews despite being one of the smaller Cambridge Colleges. Indeed, in 1907-08, when famous mountaineer and Magdalene alumnus George Mallory was Captain of Boats, they were widely recognized as the fastest boat on the River Cam. More recently, the Men’s 1st VIII have achieved a club record winning streak, with 13 “bumps” in the last 20 outings, rising to 5th place in the current standings.

Magdalene was the last Oxbridge College to admit women, in 1988, and this year Magdalene Boat Club marks 30 years of fielding women’s crews. The Women’s’ 1st VIII reached Division 1 in 2010 and has reached as high as 10th place on the river.

The RxCelerate sponsorship will support the club both in improving equipment and training for the elite competitors, but also in providing the opportunity to try rowing for all members of the college. “Rowing is the perfect training in physical and mental discipline, but the club atmosphere is also tremendous fun,” said Sam Vosper, the current Captain of Boats at Magdalene Boat Club. “At a time when we are all being encouraged to be more active, to support our health and well-being, the role of school and college sports has never been more important. In fact, many of our members are amongst the top academic performers as well.”

“RxCelerate depends on its talented and committed team, drawn from the Cambridge community,” said RxCelerate Founder and Chairman, Dr. David Grainger, also an alumnus of Magdalene College, “and we are constantly looking for ways we can give back to that community. We hope that a young company, growing rapidly, and a sporting club dating back almost 200 years can each teach the other something useful, as we work together over the long term on our shared aspiration to be the best and have fun in the process.”

The annual May Bumps begin this year on Wednesday, June 12, culminating on Saturday, June 15. 

Notes for Editors

About Magdalene Boat Club

Magdalene Boat Club is the rowing club of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and dating from 1828 is one of the oldest college clubs on the River Cam. Although Magdalene is amongst the smaller of the Cambridge colleges, Magdalene Boat Club consistently competes amongst the top crews on the Cam, often fielding seven eights in May Bumps, and regularly contributing rowers (many of whom are home-grown talent) to both the Cambridge University men’s and women’s crews. Magdalene Boat Club can also be found successfully competing at regattas and head races away from the River Cam.

For more information and contact details, please visit: www.magdaleneboatclub.co.uk

About RxCelerate

RxCelerate is an out-sourced drug discovery and development company, founded in Cambridge UK in 2012, with a focus on working smarter. It has grown rapidly to become one of the leading providers of drug development services in the United Kingdom, and has since opened offices across the United States. RxCelerate operates a unique model, providing capabilities to discover and develop drugs for clients, designing as well as executing every aspect of the research and development plan.

RxCelerate offers a wide range of services. The biology team specializes in vivo pharmacology, offering proprietary models of a wide range of human diseases, as well as complex cell-based assays. The chemistry team provides medicinal chemistry, including in silico screening, and synthesis that integrates seamlessly with the in vitro testing capability. A dedicated team designs the optimum discovery or development strategy for each project, as well as integrated program management. By working closely together, these teams can deliver pharma-grade drug product candidates at a fraction of the cost of traditional approaches.

For more information, please visit us at rxcelerate.com and connect with us on Twitter (@RxCelerate). Contact our UK headquarters: jill@rxcelerate.com  Tel: +44 (0)1223 804240. Contact our US headquarters: laura@rxcelerate.com  Tel: +1 (857) 409-6028

About Babraham Research Campus

Babraham Bioscience Technologies Ltd (BBT) is responsible for the commercial development of the Babraham Research Campus. The Babraham Research Campus is distinct in its co-location of bioscience companies with the Babraham Institute, a world-renowned research organization. The Campus provides companies laboratory and office space together with access to outstanding scientific facilities in an ideal geographical location at the core of the Cambridge cluster. Website: www.babraham.com

For more information, please contact: Derek Jones, Chief Executive, Babraham Bioscience Technologies Limited.  Email: derek.jones@babraham.co.uk  Tel: +44 (0)1223 496262

Source: Magdalene Boat Club

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