UK’s leading biomedical tech transfer bodies joining forces

Under the agreement Cancer Research Technology (CRT), the commercialisation arm of Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the largest cancer charity in Europe, and Medical Research Council Technology, which commercialises research funded by the UK’s Medical Research Council MRC, will offer each other rights to manage, develop and license discoveries from research funded by CRUK and the MRC. The two intend to explore ways to make the most of each organisation’s expertise and speed up the licensing of potential products.

CRT can offer MRCT the opportunity to manage, develop and license certain intellectual property (IP) outside the field of cancer. And in return MRCT can offer CRT the opportunity to manage, develop and license IP in cancer. Keith Blundy, CEO Cancer Research Technology said the move is a “two-way skills transplant” between two organisations with expertise in different areas of medical research.

While CRT has expertise in forming global networks with industry partners to turn cancer discoveries into treatments, the arrangement will let it hand over discoveries from its researchers to the technology transfer leaders in disease areas beyond cancer.

“Both organisations can contribute their skills and knowledge to bring the maximum patient benefit across a range of diseases as efficiently and quickly as possible,” Blundy said.

Dave Tapolczay, CEO of MRC Technology, said the arrangement will allow both MRCT and CRT to use their core strengths to maximise translation of discovery to benefit public health. “We are confident this arrangement will speed up delivery of life-changing healthcare treatments and bring further value and strength to UK science.”

Both CRT and MRCT will share revenue resulting from the arrangement, to be agreed on a case-by-case basis.

Blundy said, “This is an enormously important arrangement which will save both organisations and industry money and time and achieve our common goals of increasing survival from a wide range of diseases.”