Working with Industry
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.
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 Business and Innovation Office 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.
Our current opportunities
Opportunity: Antibody-derived small molecules and ‘macrodrug’ degraders
Commissioner: Professor Terence Rabbitts
Opportunity: A small molecule drug conjugate as a novel prodrug-activating platform
Commissioner: Professor Udai Banerji
Opportunity: AI-based multiplex image analysis of pathology slides (SANDI)
Commissioner: Professor Yinyin Yuan
Opportunity: Image/AI-driven cancer biomarker to measure immune environment
Commissioner: Professor Yinyin Yuan, Dr Khalid Abdul Jabbar
Opportunity: Predictive test for personalising breast cancer treatment
Commissioner: Professor Mitch Dowsett
Opportunity: Novel method for sequencing the T-cell receptor from degraded RNA
Commissioner: Dr Annie Baker
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
Commissioner: Swen Hoelder
Opportunity: Novel non-invasive imaging tool for measuring tumour stiffness
Commissioner: Dr Emma Harris, Professor Jeff Bamber
Opportunity: Cancer biomarker for predicting response to drugs targeting mitotic checkpoint kinases and cell division
Commissioner: Professor Andrew Tutt, Professor Chris Lord, Professor Jonathon Pines
Opportunity: Discovering and developing small molecule inhibitors of ERAP1
Commissioner: Dr Esther Arwert
Opportunity: A novel test for predicting future cancer risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Commissioner: Professor Trevor Graham
Opportunity: Targeting ART1 to overcome immune resistance in lung cancer treatment
Commissioner: Dr Erik Wennerberg
Opportunity: A deep-learning method to improve the analysis of MRI in clinical imaging
Commissioner: Dr Matthew Blackledge
Opportunity: Molecular subtyping and predictive test for personalising colorectal cancer
Commissioner: Professor Anguraj Sadanandam
Opportunity: Predictive test for personalising treatment of advanced sarcoma
Commissioner: Professor Paul Huang, Dr Maggie Cheang, Professor Robin Jones
Opportunity: Cancer vaccines or immunotherapy to tackle drug resistance
Commissioner: Dr Stephen Pettitt
Opportunity: ARID1A and other BAF complex defects as biomarkers for ATRi resistance
Commissioner: Professor Chris Lord
Opportunity: Biomarker for CDK4/6 and/or aromatase inhibitor response in breast cancers
Commissioner: Dr Maggie Cheang
Opportunity: A novel method for sequencing the T-cell receptor from degraded RNA
Commissioner: Professor Trevor Graham