Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

Crack teams of scientists from Cambridge and kindred world-class oncology centres are being deployed alongside Big Pharma partners to tackle a hit-list of cancers.

The  SAS-style science squads at the heart of this global revolution are the brainchild of Cancer Research UK and its development and commercialisation arm Cancer Research Technology.

Hand-picked teams of up to five world class scientists – each a leader in their own discipline – will be joined by some of the world’s top pharma companies to focus on an emerging cancer field identified by Cancer Research UK.

They will then strive to translate basic science into new treatments and diagnostic tools to help beat the killer disease.

The first project, which will look at utilising cellular senescence – putting cancer cells to sleep to prevent the spread of cancers such as melanoma – has been identified and a team of UK-based scientists put in place.
 
They have the expertise to harness this natural phenomenon and design tests to screen for new potential drugs that can kick-start senescence in cancer patients.
 
Two more projects are planned that will focus on cancer stem cells and the histone code (a code that controls the expression of a gene).

Each new project will form a limited company, managed by CRT’s business team. Initially the projects will receive up to half a million pounds from Cancer Research UK over a two-year period.
 
It is anticipated that each team will attract an industry partner to bring know-how and further finance to the project. In return they will benefit by becoming a shareholder in the company and draw on Cancer Research UK’s expertise in translating basic scientific discoveries into new treatments.

Once the early development phase is complete, the industrial partner has the option to acquire the company and progress any joint discoveries into clinical compounds.

CRT’s senior business manager and scheme leader, Simon Youlton, said: “This initiative creates a unique opportunity for us to hand-pick a ‘crack team’ of scientists wherever they may be based – rather than being tied to a particular academic institution or team which approaches us for funding.

“It enables us to pose an industrially relevant problem that Cancer Research UK wants solving and we hope it will help bridge the gap between academia and industry by combining commercial and scientific know how with the best and most dedicated brains in science.”

Any profits arising from the success of the work will be shared between the charity and the research partners involved, with Cancer Research UK re-investing any proceeds in its future research work.
 
The business relationships will be managed by CRT, which has more than 20 years experience in licensing patents and developing opportunities for new cancer drugs and diagnostics, working closely with licensees and the pharmaceutical industry.

Cambridge has a role in the first company to be established in this scheme. Headed up by Professor Nicol Keith – a University of Glasgow professor of molecular oncology the team will feature scientists from St George’s University of London, Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute, the University of Liverpool and Horizon Discovery, a young oncology focused service company set up in Cambridge to engineer new cancer cell lines.

The enterprise – VIMCAD – will apply leading-edge in vitro cellular modelling and imaging techniques to translate molecular and cell-based observations on cellular senescence into a viable drug discovery strategy.
It will be funded by Cancer Research UK for an initial 24 months and be the repository for valuable new intellectual property. An industrial partner will then be sought to develop the IP.

Babraham-based Horizon will receive a six-figure fee and retain ownership of the developed isogenic cell-lines, which will allow the dissemination of these unique tools to its academic, biotech and pharmaceutical customers. Horizon will also be an equal shareholder in VIMCAD and the intellectual property contained within it.

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