Cancer Research Horizons and LifeArc launch C-Further
With an initial investment of £28 million in resource and funding from LifeArc and Cancer Research UK, the consortium will bring together researchers, clinicians, scientists and industry to provide support, finance and expertise to progress innovations for children and young people’s cancers.
With an initial investment of £28 million in resource and funding from LifeArc and Cancer Research UK, the consortium will bring together researchers, clinicians, scientists and industry to provide support, finance and expertise to progress innovations for children and young people’s cancers
Launch event to be held at AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pediatric Cancer Research on September 6 in Toronto
Webinar to be hosted on September 18 for more information on C-Further, eligibility criteria and the application process
London, UK – 05 Sep 2024 – A pioneering £28m (USD$36m) international initiative, encompassing both resources and funding, has been announced today by Cancer Research Horizons , the innovation arm of Cancer Research UK, and LifeArc to develop new medicines exclusively for children’s and young people’s cancers.
Despite improvements in overall survival over the past 40 years, cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease in children and young people in the US and in the UK1-4. Some paediatric cancers still have low survival rates and many survivors face long-term side effects. These cancers often have a different biology than those in adults, yet targeted treatment options are mostly based on adult therapies. This leads to a reliance on non-targeted chemo- and radiotherapy, which can be harsh and create lifelong side effects in developing bodies. In addition, small patient populations make clinical trials difficult and reduce incentives for investment.
C-Further is an international consortium, bringing together researchers, clinicians, investors and other partners with a shared commitment to address the issues that cause development of potential new therapeutics for cancers affecting children and young people to stall or never begin.
The discovery and development of new therapeutics specifically for childhood cancers simply hasn't been commercially viable – at least, by following the same pathways to market as adult cancer treatment. Rising to the challenge of childhood cancer requires a fundamental change in the way children and young people’s cancer drugs are discovered, developed and brought to market.
The current pipeline of potential new medicines being developed for childhood cancers is sparse. Only two drugs were approved exclusively for children and young people with cancer by the EMA and five by the FDA5 from 2007 to 2022. In contrast, 14 new cancer medicines for adults received FDA approval in 2023 alone6.
The consortium is calling on organisations and researchers within the childhood cancer community, in order to identify therapeutic projects that can form the basis of a pipeline of new medicines.
C-Further is a completely new way of working with the research community. Through the consortium, we will offer researchers with promising therapeutic targets a package of support, that could include funding, access to cutting-edge drug discovery facilities, expert support and comprehensive resources to help projects to progress from the lab bench to patients.
Expressions of interest are invited from researchers with an asset that has novel therapeutic potential in paediatric oncology across diverse modalities (small molecule, antibody-based, cell therapy and others). Suitable projects are likely to be or equivalent stages of: hit identification; hit validation; hit-to-lead; and lead optimisation. A webinar on September 18 will provide more details about C-Further's offerings, eligibility criteria, and the application process. Registration is open here.
The consortium is also inviting other researchers, clinicians, scientists in drug discovery and development, not-for-profit funders and investors who share the same commitment to find out how they could get involved.
C-Further will hold a panel discussion titled “How to accelerate discovery and development of new medicines for pediatric cancers?” at the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Advances in Pediatric Cancer Research
To learn more visit C-Further’s website or register for our webinar.
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Editor's Note
For additional context regarding this announcement, please note that:
Cancer Research UK is an investment partner of C-Further
Cancer Research Horizons (a subsidiary of CRUK) is a founding partner of C-Further
LifeArc is a founding partner and major funder of C-Further
About C-Further
C-Further is an international consortium bringing together researchers, clinicians, scientists in drug discovery and development, partners and investors with a shared commitment to creating new therapeutics for childhood cancers.
We envision a world where childhood cancers are treated effectively, with tailored, and well-tolerated treatments.
Together we’re combining expertise from around the world to create an innovation ecosystem that allows us to challenge conventional approaches to developing therapies and accelerate promising ideas towards better outcomes for children living with cancer.
About Cancer Research Horizons
Cancer Research Horizons is the innovation engine of Cancer Research UK – the world's largest charitable funder of cancer research. The organisation takes cutting-edge innovations from the lab bench to the bedside, translating them into effective treatments and diagnostics for cancer patients.
To date, Cancer Research Horizons has played an instrumental role in forming over 70 spin-out companies. The organisation has helped bring 13 cancer drugs to market, borne out of Cancer Research UK's pioneering research. Through these drugs, Cancer Research Horizons has enabled in excess of 6 million courses of treatment for cancer patients across the world.
With access to Cancer Research UK's network of 4,000 exceptional researchers and its £400+ million annual research spend, Cancer Research Horizons is a powerful partner in the fight to conquer cancer.
About LifeArc
LifeArc is a self-funded, medical research charity. LifeArc takes scientific ideas out of the lab and helps turn them into medical breakthroughs that can be life-changing for patients. The charity has been doing this for more than 25 years and its work has resulted in five licensed medicines, including cancer drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda®), lecanemab (Leqembi) for Alzheimer’s and a diagnostic for antibiotic resistance.
LifeArc’s teams are experts in drug and diagnostics discovery, technology transfer, and intellectual property. The charity’s work is in translational science – bridging the gap between academic research and clinical development, providing funding, research and expert knowledge, all with a clear and unwavering commitment to having a positive impact on patient lives.
LifeArc is a company limited by guarantee (registered in England and Wales under no. 2698321) and a charity (registered in England and Wales under no. 1015243 and in Scotland under no. SC037861).
Sources
(1) Cancer Research UK. Cancer mortality for all cancers combined. Cancer Research UK. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/mortality/all-cancers-combined.
(2) Gunn, T. Early-onset cancer: why are more young adults being diagnosed?. Cancer Research UK - Cancer News. https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2023/01/24/early-onset-cancer-why-are-more-young-adults-being-diagnosed/
(3) Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood Cancer (PDQ®) - NCI. https://www.cancer.gov/types/childhood-cancers/late-effects-hp-pdq
(4) American Cancer Society. Key Statistics for Childhood Cancers. Key Statistics for Childhood Cancers. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cancer-in-children/key-statistics.html
(5) Pediatric cancer drug approval overview. https://www.who.int/observatories/global-observatory-on-health-research-and-development/monitoring/pediatric-cancer-drug-approval-overview
(6) FDA’s Oncology Regulatory Review 2023. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/2023-oce-annual-report/oncology-regulatory-review-2023