CYCLOLAB CYCLODEXTRIN RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY LTD.

H-1097 BUDAPEST, Illatos út 7., Hungary

Web site: www.cyclolab.hu

Project Co-Director: Prof. József Szejtli (PPD)

Telefon/Fax: (361)-347-6060/(361)-347-6068

E-mail: cyclolab@cyclolab.hu

Based on more than 30 years of experience in cyclodextrin research and development, CYCLOLAB has been performing research on specific fields of utilization of cyclodextrins in pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, in food and in agrochemicals from laboratory experiments up to elaboration of Drug Master File and/or Patent Application. CYCLOLAB works in long-term research cooperation (collaboration on contractual base) with various pharmaceutical companies and CD-producing firms, as well as with producers of cosmetics and plastics worldwide, moreover in EU and NATO research projects.

Since the beginning of the CD project, this team has published more than 250 scientific papers, 6 books and over 100 patent applications on CDs. These results were acknowledged by various awards: Academic Award (Budapest, 1986), Gold Medal of INCHEBA (Bratislava, 1988), Moet-Henessy Prize (Paris, 1991), Innovation Award (Budapest, 1994), Honorary Membership of the Japanese CD Society (Tokyo, 2000).

At present time, about 100 cyclodextrin derivatives – as fine chemicals - are produced for scientific and analytical purposes in the Synthesis Laboratory of Cyclolab. The activity of the Laboratory meets the international requirements of quality assurance, which has been appreciated in 1998 by ISO 9001 qualification.

CYCLOLAB has recently installed a GMP facility to produce CD derivatives of extreme purity for parenteral human applications.

Having collected, abstracted and classified all the information published on cyclodextrins for over 30 years, CYCLOLAB possesses a powerful Cyclodextrin Literature Database (containing abstracts of more than 24000 reference publications).

The periodical CYCLODEXTRIN NEWS (edited and distributed by Cyclolab since 1985, available also on CD-ROM) publishes monthly a critical review of the most recent cyclodextrin literature and 110 to 150 abstract of relevant publications on CDs.

The first International Symposium on Cyclodextrins was organized in 1981 by this group. Since then, the researchers of this field have been meeting biannually. One of the chief organizers has remained CYCLOLAB, having worldwide contacts with the CD scientists as well as with the industry that produce or applies CDs.

The members of the staff give regularly lectures at the seminars of various universities in Budapest, and take part in the education programs of the undergraduate and graduate students.

The research in CYCLOLAB has focused on the drug formulation, but also the application of CDs in biotechnology has been of great importance. For instance, our scientists have participated in the development of enzymic conversion process of steroids. The process is based on the solubilizing ability of cyclodextrins.

The environmental application of cyclodextrins has also a long history by CYCLOLAB. The procedure to trap organic solvent vapors from industrial off-gases by cyclodextrins was patented in 1979, the method for detoxification of industrial waste water for treatment with activated sludge was published in 1986, the possibility for intensification of remediation of hydrocarbon/polluted soils in 1992, etc.

We have studied the selective extraction of PAHs from crude oil distillates and from contaminated soil. The most recent field is the intensification of bioremediation of polluted soils studied since 1994 in cooperation with the group of Dr. Gruiz at the Budapest University of Technical and Economical Sciences (BUTES).