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BIOTHERA ACQUIRES MUC1 ANTI-CANCER MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY FROM ANTISOMA

On March 10, 2011 Biothera reported that it has acquired the anti-cancer monoclonal antibody AS1402 from Antisoma for undisclosed terms (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, MAR 10, 2011, View Source [SID1234523525]).

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AS1402 is a monoclonal antibody that targets an aberrant form of the cell-surface protein MUC1 that is widely expressed in many types of cancer. Prior to the acquisition, the experimental drug had been in Phase 2 development. AS1402 was originally developed by CRT.

To find out more, visit the Biothera website.

Cancer Research Technology, The ICR and ZoBio BV sign deal to develop cancer drugs

On March 10, 2011 Cancer Research Technology (CRT) and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) reported to have signed a deal with Dutch drug discovery company, ZoBio BV, to discover and develop drugs to block a DNA repair target which may play a role in cancer cell survival (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, MAR 10, 2011, View Source [SID1234523326]).

CRT will manage commercialisation arising from any potential drug compounds discovered through the collaboration and will share a portion of future revenues with ZoBio and the ICR.

The collaboration will combine the ICR’s expertise in drug discovery and target validation* – proving a protein’s importance as a therapeutic target – with ZoBio’s patented drug fragment screening technology called TINS**, to identify small molecules that bind to and block the DNA repair target.

DNA damage occurs during each cell division. If DNA damage is allowed to accumulate, cells will stop dividing and may eventually die.

Healthy cells use several different routes to identify and repair DNA damage. But cancer cells, which divide rapidly and accumulate more DNA damage, often have faults with a major DNA repair process. They are forced to rely on "back-up" routes.

Potential drugs developed through the new collaboration would block one of the remaining alternative repair routes. This would cause cancer cells to quickly build up DNA damage and die.***

It is also expected that these drugs would increase the effectiveness of common chemotherapies, which work by causing more DNA damage than cancer cells can repair.

Healthy cells could tolerate this type of drug as they divide more slowly and retain their main repair machinery which provides effective DNA repair.

Dr Phil L’Huillier, CRT’s director of business development, said: "Cancer Research UK and The ICR have already made strides in breast cancer treatment by blocking two DNA repair routes at once – people missing the DNA repair protein BRCA can be treated with a drug blocking PARP, an enzyme on a different DNA repair pathway.

"This approach is delivering impressive clinical trial results which could lead to better survival.

"We hope that similar drugs identified through the collaboration could also have promising results, ultimately increasing survival from a range of cancers."

The project started as a collaboration between Professor Alan Ashworth from the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at the ICR, who completed initial validation* studies, and Professor Paul Workman from the Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at the ICR, who will lead the drug discovery programme.

Professor Ashworth, Chief Executive of the ICR, says: "Collaborations such as this – that pairs our cancer expertise with cutting-edge technology – are key to developing new therapeutics which we hope will increase survival from cancer in the future."

Dr. Gregg Siegal, Chief Scientific Officer of ZoBio, said: "We are excited to work with ICR on such an exciting and novel target. We are convinced that we can provide valuable starting matter through the use of TINS where other approaches have failed."

Dr L’Huillier, added: "This innovative collaboration brings together skills and knowledge from the world’s top experts in industry and academia to beat cancer."

(Filing, 10-K, Ligand, MAR 3, 2011, View Source [SID:1234502815])

(Filing 10-K , Exelixis, FEB 22, 2011, View Source [SID:1234501028])

International Cancer Genome Consortium announces $20 million Canadian research project to decode the prostate cancer genome

On February 15, 2011 The International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) reported the launch of a $20 million Canadian research project that will map the genetic structure of prostate cancer and provide new information that could greatly improve the diagnosis and treatment of the disease (Press release, International Cancer Genome Consortium, FEB 15, 2011, View Source [SID1234571045]). The new project, called The Canadian Prostate Cancer Genome Network (CPC GENE), is one of 36 other currently funded ICGC research projects in 13 jurisdictions around the world.

CPC GENE aims to crack the prostate cancer genetic code by identifying changes or mutations in the DNA sequences of prostate cancers. Information about mutations in these DNA sequences could be used to better detect tumours, determine tumour aggressiveness and identify the best treatment needed to personalize prostate cancer medicine for individual patients.

Up to $15 million in funding will be provided by Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC) and $5 million from the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR).

"Prostate Cancer Canada is excited to be leading this important international study which will lead to collaboration and knowledge sharing. From a patient perspective and the 1 in 6 Canadian men who will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, this should result in improved diagnostics and better treatment strategies" said Steve Jones, President & CEO of Prostate Cancer Canada.

"I lost my father at age 63 to prostate cancer and too many of my friends struggle with this illness. Our government is making this investment to hasten the day when we can talk about prostate cancer in the past tense," said Glen Murray, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation.

"We anticipate that within five years, gene-based diagnoses will help physicians in determining which patients require more intensive therapies and which patients would benefit from careful monitoring, a process called "watchful waiting". It is also expected that some prostate cancer mutations detected by CPC GENE will stimulate the development of new cancer drugs" said Dr. Tom Hudson, President and Scientific Director of OICR. CPC GENE will be led by Dr. Robert Bristow, Senior Scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute, the research arm of the University Health Network’s Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) and Genitourinary (GU) Radiation Oncologist at PMH. He said, "We are excited by the possibility to use precise genetic information from our patients to personalize their prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. This personalized medicine approach will no doubt improve the quality of life for men worldwide diagnosed with the disease."

The highly collaborative project will bring together Canadian researchers working in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Kingston and Montreal. These researchers will also work with international teams based in the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

In Canada, over 25,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 4,000 will die of it. Side effects from prostate cancer treatment are often serious and long-term. Prostate cancer is currently evaluated by the stage of cancer, PSA blood test, and the Gleason score which is based on how aggressive the cancer cells appear under the microscope. However, these prognostic factors cannot accurately predict the clinical course or treatment required for an individual with prostate cancer. Investigating the genetic causes of the disease could identify the best treatment for each patient based on the unique DNA sequence of their cancer.

As of January 2011, the ICGC has received commitments from funding organizations in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America for research institutes in 13 jurisdictions. So far, funding organizations have committed more than $500 million for 38 projects. Projects that are currently funded are examining tumours affecting the bladder, blood, bone, brain, breast, cervix, colon, head and neck, kidney, liver, lung, oral cavity, ovary, pancreas, prostate, rectum, skin, soft tissues, stomach and uterus. Over time, additional nations and organizations are anticipated to join the ICGC. For more information and updates about ICGC activities, please visit the website at: www.icgc.org.

OICR, a not-for-profit research institute funded by the Government of Ontario, cofounded the International Cancer Genome Consortium. In addition to prostate cancer, OICR is responsible for an ICGC project on pancreatic cancer. OICR hosts the ICGC Secretariat that coordinates ICGC networking activities and the ICGC Data Coordination Centre, which assures that ICGC datasets generated by ICGC members in 13 countries is made available to the worldwide research community, to accelerate research into the causes and control of cancer. These initiatives have received additional support for equipment and operations from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Government of Ontario.