On October 30, 2000 Cancer Research Ventures ("CRV"), the independent technology transfer company created by the UK’s Cancer Research Campaign in 1998 to provide commercialisation services to cancer research institutes around the world, reported the signing of an exclusive license agreement with the UK-based biopharmaceutical company, Antisoma plc (LSE: ASM; EASD:ASOM; "Antisoma") (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, OCT 30, 2000, View Source [SID1234523479]).
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Antisoma, which specialises in the development of novel targeted cancer therapeutics, will develop and commercialise a new, platinum-based compound that is activated only at the site of a tumour. Dr Eberhard Amtmann, a staff scientist at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum), invented the compound in collaboration with Dr Gerhard Schilling at the University of Heidelberg. Early data from Dr Amtmann’s research indicates that the tumour targeted activation of this new compound should provide considerable advantages, when compared with current platinum drugs, in lowering the toxic side effects normally associated with chemotherapy towards non-cancer cells.
CRV aims to ensure that future cancer patients will have access to safer and more effective cancer treatments by facilitating the development of promising therapeutic advances made in the world’s research laboratories. This is done on behalf of the cancer researchers by identifying and securing commercial partnerships, such as that signed with Antisoma today. CRV is retained on this basis by a number of the world’s cancer research institutes, including the German Cancer Research Centre, with whom CRV has been working over the past two years.
Simon Youlton, CRV’s European Business Manager, commented, "We hope this will be the beginning of a long, exciting and fruitful collaboration between CRV, Antisoma and the German Cancer Research Centre, which is one of Europe’s premier cancer research centres. We are confident that Antisoma are the partner of choice to develop this novel targeted cancer drug. This is still an area of major unmet clinical need and we hope that this project will ultimately provide improved therapies in the fight against cancer."