Researchers

Projects will be developed collaboratively with you as the originating researcher. By working with us you'll receive support from our in-house drug discovery expert to translate your discoveries into novel therapeutics and advance them through the pipeline.

While our aim is to facilitate the translation and commercialisation of the therapeutics developed through the consortium, we recognise the importance of publication to our academic partners and the value of knowledge-sharing with the research community. We will endeavour to support publication where it is not detrimental to intellectual property protection or undermines our ability to move the programme forward with future commercial partners.

During the discussion to bring projects into our portfolio, we will enter into a negotiation with the originating/collaborating institution(s) regarding downstream revenue share.

Our initial focus is to progress approved projects up to clinical candidate, but we have plans to raise additional funding to allow us to carry projects into the clinic and beyond. In parallel, we are actively exploring innovative business models capable of providing the sustainable support necessary for these ambitious aims.

We are seeking therapeutic projects which meet the following criteria:

• Any therapeutic modality

• From validated targets to therapeutic assets in lead optimisation (or relevant modality equivalent)

• The primary indication or sub-indication must be a childhood or adolescent cancer indication, and we are most interested in areas of significant unmet need

• Are NOT drug repurposing/repositioning

Read more details on eligibility here.

Projects will be selected based on a range of factors:

• Unmet need and potential impact

• Scientific rationale and feasibility

• Combined access to the necessary expertise/capabilities

• Competitive landscape and intellectual property

Due to the translational nature of the consortium, it may also be necessary to make decisions based on portfolio balance.

Therapeutic discovery projects will be progressed in collaboration between C-Further and the originator researchers. Depending on the nature of the project and the capabilities of the originator institution, project activities will be carried out at our founders' laboratories, at the researcher’s, outsourced or a combination of the former. Irrespective of where the activities are run, originator researchers will be actively involved throughout the progression of the project. Most projects will be managed through research collaboration agreements, under which C-Further will fund the necessary drug discovery activities through the ways described above.

C-Further’s collective drug discovery capability is realised through experienced and passionate drug discovery scientists working within our consortium partner organisations. We can offer researchers and partners access to the full spectrum of drug discovery, covering the entire journey to patient benefit. Pertinent to C-Further’s mission, we have deep expertise in diverse small molecule and antibody approaches, including:

• biosciences including complex model generation, immune-oncology discovery platforms, CRISPR libraries

• assay development based on molecular and cellular understanding of target biology, incorporating mechanistic enzymology, structural biology and biophysics

• hit finding through HTS, fragment screening, DEL libraries & world class antibody discovery platforms

• medicinal chemistry

• computation chemistry platforms

• analysis of SAR biology and drug-target kinetics

• mechanistic pharmacology, DMPK and ADME profiling

• antibody discovery platforms

• antibody affinity maturation and humanisation platforms

We are also looking to expand our offering through partnering as we build the consortium.

Pre-existing (background) intellectual property (IP) remains with the originating parties and IP arising during the project will vest in the consortium (specifically in either Cancer Research Horizons or LifeArc). It is important that the consortium has the exclusive commercial right to develop the full IP package associated with a project for as long as we are proactively developing it, as this gives us the best chance of raising additional funding and attracting suitable partners for onward development.

To facilitate academic research, collaborating institutions will be granted a non-commercial research use licence to IP generated by the institution as part of a consortium project. The consortium will also endeavour to make research tools available for non-commercial use and enable the investigator(s) to publish where this does not compromise the ability to further develop the IP associated with the project.

If we decide not to continue a project and cannot find another partner who is able to take the project to the next stage of development in our place, then we will hand the project and all requisite intellectual property generated as part of the project back to the originator institute so they can continue to pursue the project themselves.

We still want to hear from you. Cancer Research UK has committed a further £2.5m of grant funding through the Childhood Cancer Therapeutic Catalyst, a separate scheme designed for earlier-stage projects.

Learn more here