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Working With Us

The Business and Innovation Office has many industrial partners and works with them to transform ideas into new products for the benefit of cancer patients. We interact in a number of ways with commercial partners, who can provide the resources and complementary expertise required to take our research findings through development, manufacture and into the clinic.

Scientist in a lab

Collaboration

The Institute of Cancer Research has a strong track record of working collaboratively with industry both in early stage research and to develop products. The Business and Innovation Office supports industry and the ICR research community in working together on projects where each party brings their own experience and expertise to the work. We can also assist in finding external funding sources for work in partnership with the ICR.

Licensing

The Business and Innovation Office works with ICR researchers to protect, market and licence technologies created in the ICR laboratories. The wide range of oncology research undertaken at the ICR constantly increases our portfolio of intellectual property and we welcome contact from companies interested in licensing any of our technologies.

See our current portfolio of licensing opportunities

Consulting

Staff from the ICR are available for external consultancy work enabling us to share our knowledge with industry, government and the public sector. We work closely with clients in business and industry to meet their needs and the Enterprise Unit can assist you in finding suitable expertise.

Clinical trials contracts

ICR staff participate in numerous clinical trials projects to study investigational new drugs or treatment regimens. These studies are often funded by pharmaceutical companies or other external partners. The Business and Innovation Office is responsible for reviewing and negotiating clinical trials contracts on behalf of the ICR and our clinical partner The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Spinouts

The Business and Innovation Office also forms its own companies, known as spinout companies as a means of commercialising ICR research leading to the formation of sustainable businesses which contribute to the economic activity of the UK.

Opportunity: a deep-learning method to improve the analysis of MRI in clinical imaging

We're seeking commercial partners to exploit a novel method of analysing whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI (WBDWI) data collected using routine clinical imaging protocols.

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Opportunity: novel method for sequencing the T-cell receptor from degraded RNA

We're seeking a collaborative partner for the licensing and co-development of FUME-TCRseq, a new accurate and and low-cost tool for genomic analysis of the T-cell receptor.

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Opportunity: a potent, orally bioavailable clinical-stage inhibitor of MPS1 with potential as a treatment for a range of cancer types including triple negative breast cancer

We're seeking licensee or commercial partner to continue the development of a highly potent and orally bioavailable inhibitor of MPS1, CCT289346.

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Opportunity: novel non-invasive imaging tool for measuring tumour stiffness

We're seeking partners to continue the development of a new ultrasound-based imaging technique that can visualise and measure the stiffness of tumours.

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Opportunity: cancer biomarker for predicting response to drugs targeting mitotic checkpoint kinases and cell division

We're seeking partners to continue the development of a cancer biomarker (HORMAD1) for predicting susceptibility to drugs targeting cell division, including spindle checkpoint and kinetochore error correction inhibitors.

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Opportunity: discovering and developing small molecule inhibitors of ERAP1

We're seeking a collaborative partner to accelerate the development of an ERAP1 programme in the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, with a particular potential to enhance the effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors or radiotherapy, in patients who do not currently respond to those treatments.

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Opportunity: a novel test for predicting future cancer risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

We're seeking a commercial partner to support the development of a new test for predicting future cancer risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

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Opportunity: targeting EXD2 for treating tumours with deficiencies in homologous recombination

We're seeking commercial partners to exploit a synthetic lethal interaction between EXD2 and cancers with deficiencies in homologous recombination, including mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2.

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Opportunity: targeting ART1 to overcome immune resistance in lung cancer treatment

We're seeking commercial partners to support the clinical transition of a project which aims to target ART1, a novel immune checkpoint, for the treatment of lung cancer, to achieve maximum patient benefit.

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Opportunity: AI-based multiplex image analysis of pathology slides (SANDI)

We're seeking licensees or collaborators for an AI-based method that could help accelerate research into how different cell types within the tumour microenvironment influence tumour behaviour, prognosis and response to treatment.

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Opportunity: molecular subtyping and predictive test for personalising colorectal cancer

We're seeking a partner to continue the development of a colorectal cancer gene signature as a clinical test for predicting therapy response (e.g. anti-EGFR therapies, including monoclonal antibodies).

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Opportunity: predictive test for personalising breast cancer treatment

We're seeking partners to continue the development of a gene expression signature into a predictive biomarker for predicting prognosis and treatment response for patients with early-stage ER+/HER2+ breast cancer.

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Opportunity: predictive test for personalising treatment of advanced sarcoma

We are seeking partners to continue the development of a gene expression signature for predicting tumour response to the multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor pazopanib and support its transition to the clinic.

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Opportunity: CAR-T therapy development for breast cancer and other solid tumours

We are seeking a partner to continue the development of CAR-T technology targeted against transmembrane glycoprotein Endosialin in breast cancer and other solid tumours.

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Opportunity: image/AI-driven cancer biomarker to measure immune environment

We are seeking a partner to continue the commercial development of AI-TIL: an image-based biomarker that quantifies tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) from histopathological samples using proprietary AI technologies.

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Opportunity: cancer vaccines or immunotherapy to tackle drug resistance

We're seeking a partner to collaborate on the development of anti-cancer vaccines and/or immunotherapeutic approaches to help overcome resistance to PARP inhibition or platinum-based chemotherapy

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Opportunity: IL23 inhibitors in prostate cancer

We are seeking a partner to continue the development of IL-23 inhibitors in advanced, castration resistant prostate cancer following the surprising discovery that IL-23 secreted by myeloid suppressor cells confers resistance to androgen deprivation therapy.

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Opportunity: ARID1A and other BAF complex defects as biomarkers for ATRi resistance

We are seeking a partner to continue the development of ARID1A and other BAF-complex genes as cancer biomarkers for predicting sensitivity to ATR inhibitors.

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Opportunity: predicting radiotherapy response in bladder cancer

We are seeking a partner to continue the development of a gene expression profiling method for predicting response to radiotherapy in muscle invasive bladder cancer.

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Opportunity: biomarker for CDK4/6 and/or aromatase inhibitor response in breast cancers

We're seeking a partner to to continue the development of a breast cancer gene signature for predicting resistance/sensitivity to aromatase inhibitors and/or CDK4/6 inhibitors.

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