Cancer Research UK and Astellas announce partnership
pharmafile | August 8, 2014 | News story | Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Astellas, CRUK, Canncer, Pancreatic cancer
Cancer Research UK and its commercial arm, Cancer Research Technology (CRT) have announced they are joining forces with Astellas in the fight against cancer.
The charity and Japanese drug firm will initially conduct a two-year research programme to find new drug targets for pancreatic cancer.
The research will be carried out in the UK by Dr Sharon Tooze at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute and at the Beaston institute by Professor Kevin Ryan.
Ryan comments: “This is an exciting opportunity to develop new drugs for pancreatic cancer where there is an urgent need for new treatments.”
Certain pancreatic cancers are dependent on autophagy, the process of consuming your own cellular parts for energy, in order to grow. The two groups are aiming to identify and then validate the best possible drug targets to block the autophagy pathway in pancreatic cancer cells.
Astellas has an exclusive licence to progress the most promising candidates through further drug discovery and development, subject to certain payments to CRT.
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest forms of cancer with survival rates remaining very low. Every year in the UK 8,800 people are diagnosed with the disease with only one in three per cent surviving the disease for more than five years.
Part of the problem is that it is often symptomless until it has metastasised and there are very few drug treatments available; since 1990 more than 30 Phase III trials have failed to lead to regulatory approval in Europe for advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Because of this shortage it can be a very lucrative field for drug companies. In January, Celgene’s cancer chemotherapy drug Abraxane (paclitaxel protein-bound) was approved by European regulators to treat patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, or metastatic pancreatic cancer.
The company are predicting it to be major blockbuster with sales forecast to break the $1 billion mark.
It is not Astellas’ first foray into pancreatic cancer as it previously partnered with Roche in the development of Tarceva (erlotinib) used to treat both lung and advanced pancreatic cancer.
Astellas has been focussing on reshaping its R&D framework since May 2013 including the launch of its Innovation Management division (AIM) to acquire external opportunities in the preclinical stage.
Kenji Yasukawa, senior VP and chief strategy officer, Astellas, says: “Astellas has invited researchers from around the world to collaborate to increase drug discovery opportunities and expand development pipelines. The aim is to establish links with overseas researchers who have ideas that possess a high level of novelty and creativity.”
Yasukawa adds: “This consortium with Cancer Research UK and CRT is one of the collaborations to be achieved through this global initiative.”
Cancer Research UK has also been perusing a number of partnerships with pharma companies.
In April it formed a £25 million research programme with Pfizer and AstraZeneca into advanced lung cancer in the so-called Lung Matrix trial and in 2013 it partnered with the Swedish firm to develop a new oncology medicine that targets a number of different cancers.
Emily MacKenzie
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