MRC grant to advance cancer therapeutics discovery

A joint award application by CRUK (Cancer Research UK) Scotland Institute and Oxford Drug Design that will progress a new approach for modulation of a validated cancer pathway fuelling disease progression, has been awarded by the MRC (UK Medical Research Council) National Mouse Genetics Network (NMGN) Business Engagement Fund.

Oxford Drug Design, which has core expertise in AI drug discovery claimed the clinically novel approach would bear the potential to display improved efficacy and lower toxicity than existing treatments. Partner CRUK Scotland Institute will apply its expertise in the development and implementation of genetically engineered mouse models to the company’s small molecule anticancer compounds.

Dr Paul Finn, CSO of Oxford Drug Design commented: “We’re delighted that the potential of our novel anticancer compounds has been recognised with this award and are honoured to be working with CRUK Scotland Institute on this joint project.  The models developed by CRUK SI are world-leading and the project will be of great value in validating our innovative approach.  This is only the first of further opportunities to advance novel compounds emerging from our proprietary GenAI discovery platform.”

Dr. Alan D. Roth, CEO of Oxford Drug Design, added: “The combination of Oxford Drug Design’s novel anti-cancer small molecules with the distinctive and highly predictive in vivo platform of CRUK Scotland Institute has enormous potential for patients and their oncologists. We are delighted to be working directly with researchers at the CRUK Scotland Institute and are very grateful to MRC NMGN for funding this valuable collaboration”.

Dr. Andrew Campbell (Research Team Lead) and Dr. Valeria Pavet (Senior Translational Scientist) from CRUK Scotland Institute commented: “We are very pleased to be able to bring our pioneering capabilities in anticancer compound characterisation to support Oxford Drug Design's acceleration of its drug discovery efforts.  The project is highly aligned with our core research interests and our mission of increasing the application of our science in a translational setting to contribute filling the gap between bench and bedside.”

More information online