Astex Pharmaceuticals has announced an exclusive worldwide research collaboration and licence agreement with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. Together, they will work to identify small molecule drug candidates with selective inhibitory activity as potential treatments for breast cancer.

This milestone builds on research that originated from a partnership between Newcastle University, Astex and Cancer Research Horizons, highlighting the value of long-term collaboration in advancing promising science to achieve patient benefits.

Michelle Jones, President of Astex Pharmaceuticals, said: “Working together with colleagues from Newcastle University, Astex’s fragment-based drug discovery expertise has led to the discovery of a novel and innovative approach to selectively inhibit this key oncology target for breast cancer therapy.

“Genentech’s focus on embracing innovation, its expertise in oncology and its longstanding dedication to innovation for breast cancer patients makes Genentech an excellent partner for this collaboration.

“We are delighted to be working together in this important drug discovery alliance with the aim to build on our progress and accelerate compounds into development in a rapidly emerging area of need which, as yet, remains unmet.”

Research and industry side-by-side

The announcement reflects a model that has been successfully demonstrated for more than three decades by Newcastle University's Drug Discovery Group, where academic expertise, cancer research charities and industry partners work side by side to translate scientific discoveries into potential new medicines.

Academia and the pharmaceutical industry share the same goal in oncology – improving outcomes for people with cancer - and this plays to the strengths of curiosity-driven research and commercial development.

Yet many promising discoveries can become stranded in the gap between early research and clinical development, often referred to as the "valley of death", where projects require more resources than academia can provide but remain too high-risk for industry investment.

The Newcastle Drug Discovery Group has become a leading example of how this gap can be bridged.

Discovery Group established what would become the charity’s longest-running academic partnership when Newcastle University signed its first technology transfer agreement in 1991.

Today, the group forms part of Cancer Research Horizons' Therapeutic Innovation division. However, unlike other drug discovery sites within the organisation, Newcastle's scientists remain University employees and active academics while maintaining strong links with industry partners.

This arrangement enables researchers to pursue innovative science, develop new drug discovery technologies and explore high-risk ideas while retaining a clear pathway to translation and commercial development.

The group's approach has led to significant advances in cancer drug discovery.

In the 1990s, Newcastle researchers began investigating whether inhibiting the DNA repair enzyme PARP could be used as a cancer treatment. At the time, many pharmaceutical companies viewed the approach as too risky.

Supported by Cancer Research UK, the team discovered the PARP inhibitor rucaparib, commercially known as Rubraca, which became the first PARP inhibitor ever administered to a cancer patient during a clinical trial in Newcastle in 2003.

Rucaparib is now approved for the treatment of certain ovarian cancers and has helped establish PARP inhibitors as an important class of targeted cancer therapies.

The group's success has continued through collaborations with Astex Pharmaceuticals. Working together, they developed compounds that contributed to the discovery of erdafitinib, a first-in-class FGFR inhibitor approved for certain cancers including bladder, breast, prostate and colon.

Their partnership has also led to the discovery of ASTX295, a novel small-molecule therapy designed to restore the function of the tumour suppressor protein p53, which is faulty in around half of all cancers. Early clinical studies have shown encouraging safety and tolerability, and the programme continues to advance through further development.

From scientific discovery to global patient impact

For more than 30 years, Newcastle's Drug Discovery Group has demonstrated the value of bringing together academic research, charitable investment and pharmaceutical expertise. The latest Astex-Genentech agreement further highlights the strength of that model and the enduring impact of research originating from Newcastle University.

The Newcastle Drug Discovery Group continues to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and patient benefit, helping turn promising research into potential new cancer treatments for people around the world.

Find out more about the Newcastle Drug Discovery Group and read the Astex and Genetech announcement