Our Centre for Drug Development
We translate today's science into tomorrow's medicine
At the CRUK Centre for Drug Development (CDD), our goal is to bring much needed new treatments to people with cancer.
We are the partner of choice for early-phase cancer drug development. The academic, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors across the globe trust us to realise the full potential of their research.
COVID-19 is delaying cancer research and treatment - helping to fight the pandemic is one of the best things we can do right now to support people affected by cancer. CDD is experienced at running clinical trials and our expertise is being used in the global effort to help with the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic whilst maintaining our ongoing clinical trials in cancer.
We have a proven track record
We have over 25 years of experience partnering with industry and academia to turn promising research ideas into novel therapies, including antibodies, imaging agents, cell therapies, vaccines and targeted small molecules. Our portfolio rivals that of a medium-sized pharmaceutical company in size, but in form reflects our unique strategy as a charity-funded organisation.
23
AGENTS UNDER ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT
25
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
6
AGENTS HAVE BEEN REGISTERED AS MEDICINES
Our strategic priorities
As the world's only charity-funded drug development facility, our pioneering research is driven purely by the goal to see scientific breakthroughs bring benefits to patients sooner. Our priorities include:
- First in class therapies
- First in human clinical trials
- Projects where we can use pharmacodynamic and stratification biomarker technologies to identify and progress new treatments which have the greatest potential for patient benefit
Our capabilities and infrastructure
We have the capabilities and infrastructure needed to demonstrate clinical potential.
With a team of over 120 drug development scientists and operational staff, our expertise spans preclinical and medical sciences, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, project management, legal, drug safety, clinical operations and data management.
We have two manufacturing facilities which are licensed to produce the small molecule and biotherapeutic drugs we use in our clinical trials, something unique in the non-commercial sector in Europe.
Although we considered IMA950 very promising, our small company was lacking the internal resources to start clinical development of the vaccine. The CRUK Centre for Drug Development made it possible to perform an extensive multicentre trial.
Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH
We deliver progress through partnership
Working in partnership is key to achieving our ambitions and we have a number of flexible business models that allow us to collaborate effectively with you.
Our partnership models include:
- Clinical Development Partnerships, working with industry to bring new life to the most scientifically promising agents
- Academic Sponsorship, offering full development of promising agents which come from academic research
We are always looking to expand our portfolio of innovative, patient-focussed projects.
Our leadership team
Our leadership team of outstanding drug development professionals are responsible for our day-to-day business operations and our strategic development.
The CDD has a team of over 100 scientists and operational staff, the majority of which are based at the CRUK head office in London. We have similar functional teams to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, to take promising discoveries from exploratory and pre-clinical phases through to sponsorship and into clinical trials.
News and features
Keep up to date with the latest news and developments from our Centre for Drug Development.
First Patient Dosed in CDD Phase IIa Trial of Bicycle Therapeutics' Bicycle® Toxin Conjugate BT1718
Our trial of first-in-class drug BT1718 has treated a patient in the Phase IIa expansion portion. The trial is in patients with squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other MT1-MMP-expressing cancers with a high unmet need.
CDD SPIKE1 trial funded by LifeArc tests a repurposed drug for treating COVID-19
Beating cancer remains our top priority and cancer patients have been severely affected by COVID-19. We have launched the SPIKE1 clinical trial to test whether camostat, a drug used for chronic pancreatitis, can be repurposed for COVID-19. Fully funded by LifeArc, SPIKE1 is a collaboration between our Centre for Drug Development, Edinburgh University and Latus Therapeutics. We used our logistical and clinical trials expertise to get this trial off the ground quickly. Meanwhile we are continuing to run our cancer trials and so this COVID-19 trial wont take away from our work on cancer.
CDD partnership with University of Southampton & Touchlight Genetics to develop new therapeutic DNA vaccine
We're working together with Southampton and Touchlight Genetics to progress Touchlight’s novel vaccine TGL-100 into clinical trials targeting head and neck cancer (HNSCC). TGL-100 combines potent cancer antigens overexpressed in HNSCC with Touchlight Genetics’ novel DNA vector – Doggybone DNA™ to induce an antigen-specific anti-tumour immune response in the body. We will sponsor and manage the Phase I/II clinical trial which will combine TGL-100 vaccination with a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor.
Lineage Cell Therapeutics exercises early option to Cancer Research UK's AST-VAC2 immuno-oncology programme
Lineage announced it is acquiring data from CDD's ongoing first-in-class Phase I trial of AST-VAC2 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Cancer Research UK will also provide input on the potential use of the VAC platform in the infectious disease space to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 the virus which causes COVID-19.
Crescendo Biologics and Cancer Research UK to collaborate on development of new Humabody® immunotherapy CB213
Cancer Research UK announce a partnership with Crescendo Biologics to fund exploratory development of CB213 for a Phase I clinical trial.
Trial Data from a New Class of Immunotherapy at AACR Virtual Annual Meeting 2020
Early results from our MOv18 trial, led by Professor James Spicer at Kings College London, were presented at the virtual annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. It is the world’s first clinical trial of a new class of immunotherapy drugs which fight cancer using one of the body’s natural defences.
Bicycle Therapeutics and Cancer Research UK to collaborate on development of new Bicycle® immuno-oncology candidate, BT7401
Cancer Research UK to fund development of BT7401 through a Phase IIa clinical trial run and sponsored by our Centre for Drug Development.
First-in-human trial for new lung cancer immunotherapy
Cancer Research UK and Vaccitech Oncology Limited (VOLT), announce a new partnership to bring a novel immunotherapeutic vaccine strategy to patients with lung cancer.
Cancer Research UK sign manufacturing agreement with BioInvent
HMBD-001, Hummingbird Bioscience's anti-HER3 antibody, is being jointly developed with our Centre for Drug Development for a CDD-sponsored Phase I clinical trial. We have signed an agreement with BioInvent, based in Lund Sweden, to manufacture the antibody to GMP. It will then be passed to our CRUK Formulation Unit in Strathclyde to produce the final drug that will be given to patients.
Latest BT1718 Trial Data Presented at ESMO 2019 Annual Congress
We attended the ESMO 2019 Annual Congress in Barcelona. Principal Investigator Dr Natalie Cook presented the latest results from our CDD-sponsored clinical trial of BT1718 in patients with advanced solid tumours. The primary objectives of the dose escalation Phase I portion of the trial are to select the recommended Phase II dose and assess the safety and tolerability profile of the new anti-cancer agent. Data presented at ESMO demonstrated encouraging progress in the trial.
Cancer Research UK and Hummingbird Bioscience join forces to advance novel antibody drug into clinical trials
Cancer Research UK, the world’s leading cancer charity, and Hummingbird Bioscience, an innovative systems-biology enabled biotechnology company, announce a partnership to develop Hummingbird’s anti-HER3 antibody, HMBD-001, for the treatment of people with HER3 driven cancer.
Patient centricity in clinical trials – how important is it?
Watch Professor Peter Johnson National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England and Margaret Grayson MBE, a cancer patient and member of CRUK’s Patient Involvement Network, discuss the patient's role in clinical trials.
First of its kind treatment vaccine moves into phase I clinical trial
Under a collaboration agreement between Cancer Research UK and Asterias Biotherapeutics, AST-VAC2 has moved into a phase I clinical trial for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
First patient dosed in trial run through our partnership with Bicycle Therapeutics
In this award winning partnership our Centre for Drug Development is sponsoring a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of BT1718, a first-in-class bicyclic peptide conjugated to a cytotoxic drug developed by Bicycle Therapeutics.
Scancell and Cancer Research UK collaborate to advance novel cancer immunotherapy into clinical trials
Scancell and Cancer Research UK have entered into a Clinical Development Partnership to develop Scancell’s ImmunoBody® vaccine, SCIB2, for the treatment of patients with solid tumours.
Scientists exploit leaks in blood brain barrier to treat glioblastoma
Early results from our OPARATIC trial show that the ovarian cancer drug olaparib successfully reaches brain tumours at high enough levels for treatment.
CDD partnership with Bicycle Therapeutics wins prestigious Scrip Award
We're working together with Bicycle Therapeutics to trial a first-in-class drug in patients with advanced solid tumours, in an innovative partnership which has just won the industry Scrip Award for Best Partnership Alliance.