Cancer drug discovery at MIPS

May 2009

Cancer Therapeutics CRC Pty Ltd (CTx) is a pharmaceutical discovery and development company that works closely with scientists and their institutes to bridge the early discovery and development gap in the cancer drug development pipeline.

CTx has an $148 million investment in cancer research over the next seven years, including $38 million from the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program and about $110 million in investments from partners.

The gap that is frustrating Australia’s cancer researchers in the standard model of drug development is a lack of early stage funding to take a promising new small molecule discovery to the regulatory pre-clinical stage. CTx works on the discovery and early development of small molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer. Its specific focus is small molecule cancer drugs or enabling therapeutics for single or co-therapy regimes – the next generation of global cancer therapies. CTx is well placed to do this, with internationally-respected expertise in molecular and cellular biology, drug discovery, pharmacology, drug candidate optimisation structural biology and medicinal chemistry and with global commercialisation partners in cancer therapeutics to take the successful drug candidates forward through clinical development and to the market.

The cancer drug discovery opportunity at CTx/MIPS enabled MIPS to recruit Dr Ian Holmes from the UK where he had a very successful career as a drug discovery scientist at a leading UK pharmaceutical company,” said director of MIPS, Professor Bill Charman. “We are thrilled to have attracted a scientist of Ian’s international calibre to join MIPS in this key leadership role.”

Dr Ian Holmes, senior team leader MIPS/CTx, explained that Australia is one of the world leaders in basic research and science, currently spending around $150 million a year on basic cancer research. But this is not getting to patients in the form of novel cancer therapies and novel cancer drugs.

“Over the last 10 years of production of novel cancer therapies, approximately 50% have come from academic sources around the world but none from Australia, despite our high levels of basic research,” said Dr Ian Street, chief scientific officer at CTx. “That’s where CTx comes in – we want to bridge the gap. CTx is working closely with academic and research institutes to develop new drugs for clinical trials, assist them to develop their ideas, then partner with biotech and pharmaceutical companies for later stage development and introduction into the market.”

Currently there are eight medicinal chemistry scientists employed full-time within the Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Action theme.

The location of a key CTx team within MIPS has real advantages, according to Dr Holmes.
“The team is currently working on an exciting new anti-cancer target and our research is going extremely well,” he said. “Being part of MIPS means we have access to world-class facilities and expertise.

“Apart from analytical platforms and lab space, we benefit from in-kind support from the faculty. And co-location with the Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation has enormous advantages. If we have any pharmacokinetic, physiochemical or stability issues, we can meet face to face to discuss them with the relevant staff and find rapid solutions to problems.”