AstraZeneca to put £4M into research with cancer charity

Collaboration

Cancer Research Technology (CRT), the technology transfer arm of the charity Cancer Research UK, and the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) have agreed a research collaboration with AstraZeneca plc in which the three partners will combine their expertise to discover and develop cancer drugs targeting molecular chaperones such as HSP90 that support the growth of cancer cells.

AstraZeneca will contribute over £4 million to the three-year project. The ICR will lead the scientific work with £1.6 million in funding from Cancer Research UK, which supported the original discovery on which this work will now build.

Molecular chaperones act as escorts ensuring that newly made proteins adopt the correct shape to function correctly and also help normal cells to respond to stress. The ICR research suggests these same chaperones also contribute substantially to the activity of cancer-promoting proteins and help cancer cells to survive and become more aggressive.

Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca has an exclusive worldwide licence to commercialise compounds developed during the collaboration. CRT and the ICR will receive up-front payments as well as milestone payments and royalties on any future sales resulting from the work.

Phil L’Huillier, director of business management at CRT, said, “This deal signifies a shared commitment to ensuring that the understanding gained from Cancer Research UK’s early laboratory-based research work is given the investment necessary to ensure it reaches its full potential.”