Cancer Research Technology and University of Manchester announce collaboration in oncology with AstraZeneca

Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the oncology-focused development and commercialisation company, and The University of Manchester have entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca to establish a clinical pharmacology biomarker research and discovery collaboration.

Within the collaboration, two clinical pharmacology research fellowships will be jointly funded by Cancer Research UK and AstraZeneca, strengthening existing collaborative links between AstraZeneca, CRT and the Cancer Research UK core-funded Paterson Institute for Cancer Research. The clinical research fellowships aim to identify and validate circulating biomarkers for use in conjunction with targeted cancer therapies. Within the 3-year fellowship programmes, clinical research fellows will receive training in translational research and phase I clinical trials from academic, clinical and industry perspectives at the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, the Christie Hospital and AstraZeneca. This collaboration serves as a pilot for an anticipated rolling joint Cancer Research UK/AstraZeneca Clinical Pharmacology Programme.

With the emergence of targeted cancer therapies, the development of robust biomarkers that reflect the molecular pathology of tumours, predict or report drug responsiveness is becoming increasingly important for improving the success of patient treatment. Such biomarkers could potentially be used for effective determination of optimum biological dose, establishment of proof-of-concept, selection of patients most likely to respond, and detection of subsequent resistance to treatment. This collaboration focuses on the investigation of blood-borne biomarkers. As blood samples can be taken much more frequently and easily than tissue biopsies, such circulating biomarkers are particularly valuable for the development of targeted cancer therapies.

Prof Caroline Dive, Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group Leader at the Paterson Institute and Dr Malcolm Ranson, Director of the clinical trials unit at the Christie Hospital commented: “We are really excited about this excellent collaboration. By providing this training programme for Clinical Pharmacologists, Cancer Research UK and AstraZeneca begin to build skills in an area of national deficit at the same time as developing new treatments for cancer patients. This collaboration brings together strong cancer research skills in the Manchester Cancer Research Centre and AstraZeneca’s drug development expertise to discover biomarkers that will improve cancer treatment. ”

Dr Andrew Hughes, the Clinical Director for Discovery Medicine in Oncology at AstraZeneca commented that “This unique opportunity provides the ability for two outstanding clinical fellows to understand how better to target new cancer treatments to patients most likely to benefit from therapy; in a further deepening of the partnership between AstraZeneca and the Manchester Cancer Research Centre.”