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Medical Solutions PLC and CRT to develop a novel toolkit for cancer drug development

On October 12, 2004 Medical Solutions plc, (‘MLS’) the supplier of services for drug developers and healthcare providers, reported that it has entered into a strategic alliance with Cancer Research Technology Ltd (‘CRT’), to enhance the speed and reliability of early cancer drug development(Press release, Cancer Research Technology, OCT 12, 2004, View Source [SID1234523445]).

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CRT, is the technology transfer and development company of Cancer Research UK, Britain’s leading independent cancer research organisation.

Developing validated biomarkers to assess the response of a patient to a drug is now the critical step in drug development. MLS will use this exciting link to create a unique toolkit for their drug development service.

MLS will screen and assess a carefully selected sub-set of CRT’s monoclonal antibody panel to identify potential tissue biomarkers that will provide an indication as to the effectiveness of specific anti-cancer drugs.

There are currently in excess of 500 drugs in development for cancer with another 1,500 in late stage discovery. It is estimated that early phase biomarker driven clinical studies cost $20 million per drug so creating a global potential market of $40 billion for such services.

The intellectual property rights for any reagent will remain with CRT, and MLS will act as a joint partner in subsequent commercialisation for use in both drug development and in the creation of a novel diagnostic.

Harpal Kumar, CEO of CRT said: ‘We are delighted to be working with Medical Solutions. They have the necessary expertise to identify novel biomarkers to speed up the whole process of getting new drugs to patients’

Professor Karol Sikora, Scientific Director of MLS welcomed the agreement: ‘We are entering uncharted territory with the advent of molecularly targeted drugs. It is now vital to understand how to get the right drug to the right patient. CRT has an excellent panel of antibodies – an ideal starting point to create novel tissue diagnostics in an era of personalised medicine for cancer. For tomorrow’s patients the diagnostic is going to be as important as the treatment.’

CRT and The Institute of Cancer Research complete licence with Vernalis

On September 29, 2004 Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT) and The Institute of Cancer Research reported that Vernalis plc has licensed exclusive worldwide rights to an anti-cancer Hsp90 inhibitor programme(Press release, Cancer Research Technology, SEP 29, 2004, View Source [SID1234523446]). The license arises from a successful tripartite research collaboration and option agreement entered into in March 2002, building on studies funded by Cancer Research UK, The Institute of Cancer Research and Wellcome Trust.

Vernalis will pay CRT and The Institute of Cancer Research a signature fee, milestone payments, royalties on sales and a proportion of sublicensing fees. Subsequent to Vernalis signing the licence agreement with CRT and The Institute of Cancer Research, on 16 th September 2004, the company has entered into an exclusive collaboration and licence agreement with the Institute for Biomedical Research Inc (Novartis).

Hsp90, a chaperone protein, is of specific interest in anti-cancer drug development as many of the signalling proteins that behave aberrantly in cancer cells require Hsp90 to ensure that they are maintained in an active form.

Professor Paul Workman, Director of the Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics and leader of the Hsp90 drug development project at The Institute of Cancer Research said: "Drugs that inhibit Hsp90 have the advantage of simultaneously blocking several different pathways that are vitally important for the growth and spread of most cancers. They therefore have the potential to benefit patients with many different types of cancer and to prevent the development of drug resistance which is major limitation of current treatments."

Keith Blundy, CRT’s Chief Operating Officer, commented: "I am delighted that the research collaboration between CRT, The Institute of Cancer Research and Vernalis has culminated in this license and furthermore that the continued development of Hsp90 inhibitors has been secured by the joint research venture between Vernalis and Novartis."

Pharminox Ltd signs exclusive agreement with CRT

On August 12, 2004 Pharminox Limited, ("Pharminox" or "The Company") a private, small-molecule oncology research and development company that was formed out of Oxford University in 2002, has reported signing a second agreement with Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the technology transfer company of the charity Cancer Research UK(Press release, Cancer Research Technology, AUG 12, 2004, View Source [SID1234523447]).

The agreement gives Pharminox an exclusive 12-month option to licence the worldwide rights to Phortress, the lead compound in a class of novel anti-tumour agents, and related compounds for development and commercialisation.

Phortress, whose mechanism of action is distinct from all other classes of chemotherapeutic agents currently available, was discovered by Professor Malcolm Stevens and co-workers in his Cancer Research UK sponsored research group based at Nottingham University. Preclinical research studies have shown that Phortress is active in vivo against human breast, ovarian and colon xenografts. A Cancer Research UK sponsored Phase I trial to determine the maximum tolerated dose of Phortress has been initiated, under the direction of Professor Calvert at the Northern Centre for Cancer Treatment in Newcastle.

In December 2003 Pharminox signed it’s first licensing agreement with CRT, which gave the Company the worldwide development and commercialisation rights to a novel series of anti-tumour compounds known as quinols that are currently in preclinical development.

IP2IPO Group plc, the AIM listed intellectual property company that commercialises university technology, holds a 14% equity stake in Pharminox.

Commenting on the announcement, Sue Barrowcliffe, CEO of Pharminox, said: "The latest agreement with CRT provides access to a clinical stage compound and therefore represents a major step forward in the process of building Pharminox into an exciting oncology research and development company."

Professor Malcolm Stevens OBE, Cancer Research UK Professor of Experimental Cancer Chemotherapy and Chief Scientific Officer of Pharminox Limited, stated: "I am delighted that this small but dynamic UK company is to be given the opportunity to develop these very exciting novel anti-tumour agents. I am particularly pleased that this agreement will allow close co-operation with the inventors of the compounds through the critical early stages of development."

Harpal Kumar, CRT’s CEO, added: "I am pleased that CRT has had the opportunity to facilitate the continued development of this novel cancer chemotherapeutic under the auspices of Professor Stevens and in so doing strengthening our relationship with Pharminox."

The Institute of Cancer Research and CRT make european BRAC2 gene patent freely available

On August 8, 2004 The Institute of Cancer Research and Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the technology transfer company of the charity Cancer Research UK, reported the availability of free licences of European patents on the hereditary breast cancer gene BRCA2 to publicly funded research laboratories and not-for-profit research laboratories(Press release, Cancer Research Technology, AUG 11, 2004, View Source [SID1234523448]).

The patents are based on the pioneering work of Professor Mike Stratton undertaken at The Institute of Cancer Research and funded by CRT’s parent charity, Cancer Research UK.

Further instructions for obtaining the licence can be found in the Downloads section of CRT’s website: commercial.cancerresearchuk.org/pages/about_download.html.

CRT grants exclusive license to Genentech to patent portfolio of an oncology target

On July 20, 2004 Cancer Research Technology (CRT) reported that it has entered into a license agreement granting Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA) exclusive worldwide rights to its patent portfolio covering an oncology target discovered in the Molecular Oncology Laboratory (Oxford) of Cancer Research UK(Press release, Cancer Research Technology, JUL 20, 2004, View Source [SID1234523449]). This oncology target was validated through collaboration between Cancer Research UK and CRT’s Development Laboratory. Genentech plans to evaluate the potential of protein therapeutics directed to this target.

Harpal Kumar, CEO of CRT, commented, "CRT is delighted to have completed its first licensing partnership with Genentech for a therapeutic target. This partnership further exemplifies CRT’s role in bringing benefit to cancer patients by facilitating the development of early-stage opportunities and forming partnerships between cancer researchers and industry to accelerate the development of new therapies. We believe that Genentech is the ideal partner to accelerate this therapeutic opportunity towards the clinic.