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Our collaborators

The Institute of Cancer Research collaborates with industrial, academic and hospital partners over a range of projects – from drug discovery programmes and biomarker studies, to the development of high intensity focussed ultrasound for the treatment of cancer.

A box of pills for use in a clinical trial

Some of our recent collaborations have included:

Astex – a 3.5-year drug discovery collaboration aimed at identifying a preclinical candidate which inhibits the molecule MMSET.

AstraZeneca – a range of programmes and projects under a strategic alliance

BACIT – co-investment alongside Sareum and the CRT Pioneer Fund in the Chk1 drug development programme

CRT Pioneer Fund – a series of 4 collaboration and licence agreements on drug discovery programme

Domainex – providing chemistry support on a 5-year drug discovery collaboration funded by the Wellcome Trust

Elekta – a range of projects in the field of radiotherapy and imaging

Enzon pharmaceuticals – a biomarker collaboration 

Horizon – collaboration to identify synthetic lethal cancer targets using Horizon’s isogenic cell lines

Illumina, Inc. – collaborative development of a cancer susceptibility genetic screening panel – TruSight Cancer

Janssen – a 2.5-year drug discovery collaboration

Merck – a multi-programme drug discovery collaboration

Nuevolution – a drug discovery collaboration working on difficult to drug targets

Onyx – a clinical trial of a novel α-folate receptor-mediated thymidylate synthase inhibitor using a study drug that was developed at ICR

Phillips – A collaboration in the field of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) treatment aiming to evaluate and optimise novel applications of HIFU in the treatment of cancer

Ventana – a multi-program collaboration providing equipment and support for a number of projects

Other industrial collaborators include: Amgen, EMD Millipore, Genentech, GSK, Morphosys, Oncolytics, PreCOS, Roche, Sanofi Aventis, Symphogen and Teva.

Our funding partners

The Institute of Cancer Research works closely with a number of funding and research organisations, including Cancer Research UKBreast Cancer Now and Wellcome.

We also have a close partnership with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, allowing effective translation of scientific results into new treatments for patients.

Cancer Research UK

A range of the work at the ICR is supported by Cancer Research UK – the UK’s largest cancer research charity. Where Cancer Research UK is the main external funder, the CRUK commercial partnership team will work with the ICR in determining the best route for commercial exploitation and identifying suitable collaborators; CRUK may lead on negotiations. The Enterprise Unit works closely with CRT to ensure that the exploitation strategy matches the ICR’s mission.

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Breast Cancer Now

The Breast Cancer Research Centre at the ICR is supported by Breast Cancer Now and brings together 140 doctors and scientists to carry out research into the causes and treatment of breast cancer. Any IP generated through joint ICR-Breast Cancer Now projects will be owned jointly by ICR and Breast Cancer Now. It is managed by the Enterprise Unit and any benefits shared.

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The Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust is a charitable research foundation dedicated to achieving improvements in human health. The Wellcome Trust funds a number of major research programmes at the ICR including three Seeding Drug Discovery Initiative Awards. IP generated from Wellcome Trust projects is owned by the ICR.

Commercial interactions may be led by either the Enterprise Unit or the Wellcome Trust but the Enterprise Unit plays an active role in all projects, from the preparation of applications to the subsequent exploitation of the results.

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The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

The ICR works closely with our clinical partner, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust – a world-leading cancer centre specialising in cancer diagnosis, treatment, research and education. Together, we form the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe. Through this partnership, we undertake ground-breaking research into new cancer drug therapies and treatments. Any IP generated through joint ICR-Royal Marsden projects is managed by the Enterprise Unit and any benefits shared.

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