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News Release from: Cancer Research UK
Edited by the Laboratorytalk Editorial
Team on 12 December 2006
Milestone payment for Vernalis's Hsp90
programme
CRT and Institute of Cancer Research are to receive a milestone payment from Vernalis following the selection of a second preclinical development candidate by Novartis in its Hsp90 drug programme
The Hsp90 programme originates from a collaboration established in March 2002 between Vernalis, Cancer Research Technology (CRT) and the Institute of Cancer Research following studies funded by the institute, Cancer Research UK, and Wellcome Trust CRT and the institute will receive development-related milestones, and royalty payments following successful commercialisation of the programme
This article was originally published on Laboratorytalk on 10 Dec 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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This second preclinical development candidate, which is an orally available compound, was identified using Vernalis's fragment-based drug discovery platform.
The first preclinical candidate, an intravenous compound, was derived from studies at the institute led by Professor Paul Workman at the Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics and in which Professor Laurence Pearl's team in the section of structural biology also played a key role.
Scientists at both Vernalis and the institute have collaborated in lead optimisation of the first intravenous and the second oral series.
Phil L'Huillier, director of business management at CRT said, "The excellent progress made within the Hsp90 programme reflects the success of combining outstanding academic and industrial expertise".
Professor Paul Workman said, ''We are excited about the prospects for Hsp90 inhibitors because these will simultaneously block many of the important processes that are essential to cancer cells.
"Thus Hsp90 drugs have potential for broad activity across many tumour types and should minimize the opportunity for drug resistance to develop".' Professor Paul Workman will be speaking about the institute's oncology research programmes on Monday 11 December at the Genesis 2006 Biotechnology Networking Conference, DTI Conference Centre, Westminster, London.
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