On November 29, 2000 Knockout mice for a gene identified by a group led by Dr Pier Guiseppe Pelicci reported at the European Institute of Oncology have shown an extension in their natural life span without any identifiable physiological changes (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, NOV 29, 2000, View Source [SID1234523478]). This is the first time a mammalian gene has been shown to have such a direct affect on the life span of a mammal.

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The discovery was disclosed in a report in Nature (18th November 1999) and has been followed up by the international press (The Times/The Telegraph/The Guardian/The New York Times – (November 1999).

Dr Pelicci continues to characterise the function of this important gene which has been termed p66shc. The function of the gene appears to be linked with the production of Reactive Oxygen Species and their cumulative damaging effects on the cell. The group has further identified the mechanism for activation of the gene.

Cancer Research Ventures Limited (CRV), a technology transfer company which was formed as a spin out company from Cancer Research Campaign Technology Ltd, has been working with Dr Pelicci’s department in Milan for some time as its agent for intellectual property management and point of contact for commercial partners. This is just one of several key research areas in which CRV has been acting as a consultant for the department. A patent covering the p66shc gene has been applied for. CRV is now seeking commercial partners to help the group develop this discovery for use in age related disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Werner’s syndrome and to combat the causes of premature tissue death.

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."

On April 25, 2000 A new company, Crusade Laboratories, has recently reported to have been launched by Cancer Research Ventures and the University of Glasgow with funding provided by a private Jersey-based investor. Crusade Labs, based in Glasgow, will pursue the development of variants of Herpes Simplex Viruses for the treatment of cancers which have shown promising results in Phase I clinical trials (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, APR 25, 2000, View Source [SID1234523480]).

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Pre-clinical studies in animal models have shown HSV 1716 invades and kills tumour cells but not normal cells. Human clinical trials are taking place in patients suffering from glioblastoma or melanoma, using a specific gene-deleted variant of the herpes simplex virus, HSV1716. These trials are proving successful with some preliminary evidence of the ability of HSV1716 to prolong the life of terminally ill brain cancer patients.

Further clinical trials are being planned by Crusade and aimed at providing additional safety data and investigate the effectiveness of the HSV1716 therapy in increasing the life span of patients with brain cancer beyond that of existing treatments.

The clinical trials are the result of 10 years of research by Professor Moira Brown and Dr Alistair MacLean at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Southern General Hospital. The clinical development of the HSV1716 is being led by Dr Roy Rampling at the University of Glasgow and Professor Garth Cruikshank of the Department of Neurosciences, University of Birmingham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Professor Brown, who is the new Chief Scientific Officer of Crusade Labs, commented,"I am particularly pleased that the potential of our research in cancer therapy has been realised by Cancer Research Ventures and the University of Glasgow and that with funding provided by Dayspring Ventures, we have been able to set up ‘Crusade Labs’. The success of the clinical trials in translating our research to patients has demonstrated that the determination and commitment of my small team has been worthwhile. The establishment of Crusade will allow us to accelerate both the clinical trials and the development of novel products with enhanced tumour killing capacity. It is an exciting prospect and a great start to the new millennium."

Cancer Research Ventures, together with the Research & Enterprise office, University of Glasgow have worked together to commercialise Professor Brown’s research and to establish Crusade Laboratories. Crusade has been granted an exclusive worldwide license by the University to all the patent rights covering both the first and second generation HSV variants. Crusade will use its funds to advance the clinical trials and develop its intellectual property base.

"This is clearly an exciting opportunity for all of us. It is rare these days to be able to establish a company around a product that has already completed two clinical trials and yielded very promising results. The potential of the second generation products currently under development to treat a range of cancers is very exciting." Commented Cancer Research Venture’s Chief Operation Officer, Dr Guy Heathers.

"We are delighted at the formation of this new company and hopeful that the HSV 1716 therapy will have a major impact in the fight against cancer. Crusade Laboratories has the potential to be a significant player in this market and has a base that could lead to the development of drugs for a range of cancers as well as novel vaccines" commented Mel Anderson , a Commercialistion Manager in the University’s Research & Enterprise office.

University of Glasgow is one of the largest research-based Universities in Scotland. Annual research income is in excess of £70m and is primarily focused in the areas of life and biomedical sciences, medicine, veterinary sciences and engineering.

Research & Enterprise, University of Glasgow is the University’s commercial office responsible for all grants, contracts, intellectual property management and technology transfer activities.

On January 20, 2000 The European Institute of Oncology in Milan, (EIO) and Pharmacia & Upjohn (PNU) reported to have entered in to a multi-year research collaboration and license agreement to collaborate on the discovery and characterisation of novel protein kinases and signal transduction pathways which could provide targets for new cancer drugs (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, JAN 20, 2000, View Source [SID1234523481]).

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Protein kinases are well-recognised molecular switches that can be selectively targeted by small drug molecules. Scientists at the Department of Experimental Oncology at EIO, chaired by Dr.Pier Giuseppe Pelicci, will apply their expertise in cell cycle and signal transduction to study the function of protein kinases in cancer cells. Scientists at PNU and Sugen, a biotechnology company recently acquired by PNU, will contribute their expertise in mechanism based drug discovery.

The agreement was arranged and negotiated on behalf of EIO by Cancer Research Ventures Limited (London. UK) the technology transfer company that was recently formed as a subsidiary of Cancer Research Campaign Technology Ltd.