Date: 2014-07-14
Type of information: R&D agreement
Compound: novel drug candidates for the detection and treatment of cancer
Company: A*STAR’s Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) (Singapore) Roche (Switzerland)
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Type agreement: R&D
Action mechanism:
Disease:
Details: * On July 14, 2014, A*STAR, Singapore\'s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, announced a partnership with Roche Pharma Research and Early Development. A*STAR’s Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) and Roche have entered into an agreement to identify novel drug candidates for the detection and treatment of cancer. The partnership brings together BTI’s capabilities in novel antibody discovery and Roche’s expertise in developing monoclonal antibody therapeutics, opening up the possibility of improved treatment for cancer. The collaboration makes use of BTI’s discovery of a new mechanism where antibodies can directly target and destroy cancer cells, which has the potential for an entirely new class of cancer treatment. Cancer cells may be distinguished from normal cells by their elevated levels of sugar on the cell surface. The mAbs discovered and generated by BTI are able to recognise these sugar targets and allow more accurate identification of cancer cells as compared to traditional antibodies that only target proteins. mAbs generated by BTI are also unique in having a novel mechanism of action; they cause pores to form on the surface of cancer cells, leading to cell degradation and the eventual death of these diseased cells. Dr Andre Choo, Principal Scientist at BTI, is lead investigator for the project. Based on this discovery, scientists from BTI have developed a pipeline of mAbs for major cancers found in Singapore. The partnership with Roche will allow new diagnostic tests and cancer treatments to be developed more quickly and to be brought earlier to patient care. Such treatments could complement and augment existing cancer drugs and result in more effective and safer treatments for cancer patients
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