Predictive Oncology together with Cancer Research Horizons, the innovation engine at the core of the world’s largest private funder of cancer research, Cancer Research UK (CRUK), have partnered to drive the development of oncology drugs utilising Predictive Oncology’s PEDAL™ platform.
“Our collaboration with Cancer Research Horizons represents a fundamental shift in drug discovery that could lead to the accelerated development of cancer therapies using compounds originating from the CRUK network and developed by Cancer Research Horizons in partnership with their global network,” said Raymond F. Vennare, Chief Executive Officer of Predictive Oncology. “We now have the ability to impact the most critical stage of early drug discovery in a way that has never been done before.”
The collaboration will utilise Predictive Oncology’s PEDAL technology to evaluate Cancer Research Horizons’ pre-clinical drug inhibitors of glutaminase in order to determine which cancer types and patient populations are most likely to respond to treatment with these compounds. PEDAL is an artificial intelligence and machine learning platform which makes high-confidence drug response predictions, enabling a more informed selection of drug–tumour type combinations for clinical development. PEDAL increases the probability of clinical success by efficiently addressing tumour heterogeneity during pre-clinical stages.
“We are committed to working closely with scientists to discover and advance therapies that can help in the fight against cancer. Ensuring that patients receive the right treatment for them is of paramount importance, and is why we are excited to work with Predictive Oncology to identify the most suitable population for the further development of our compounds. We look forward to applying Predictive Oncology’s expertise, enabling technology and dedication to progress exciting cancer therapeutics,” explained Tony Hickson, chief business officer for Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research Horizons. “We consider the potential of this collaboration a win for patients not just in the UK or US, but worldwide.”
The agreement bridges non-profit and industry, including revenue sharing for compounds developed and offers the potential for Cancer Research Horizons to incorporate PEDAL into future drug discovery processes. Cancer Research Horizons realises cancer patient benefit from not-for-profit research and works closely with leading cancer scientists, institutes and companies to protect, develop and commercialise oncology-related discoveries.
