Domainex in collaboration to develop novel breast cancer drug targets

23 March 2009

UK biotechnology company Domainex has announced a collaboration on drug-discovery programmes with the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre and The UK Institute of Cancer Research to identify and develop inhibitors of two recently validated breast cancer targets, tankyrase and IKK-epsilon.

The collaboration will bring together the Breakthrough Research Centre’s world-class expertise in the genetics, biochemistry and cell biology of breast cancer and Domainex’s outstanding capability to discover innovative drugs using its LeadBuilder hit-finding platform technology and experienced medicinal chemistry team.

The objective of the collaboration is to bring forward inhibitors of both targets to the proof-of-concept stage in breast cancer models and then to partner the programmes with larger organisations for clinical development.

Professor Alan Ashworth, Director of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research, said: “We are determined to find a wider range of personalised treatments for breast cancer patients and by working with organisations that are leaders in their field we will do this faster. That is why we are delighted to collaborate with Domainex who will help us turn our research into new drugs for patients.”

Domainex specialises in the provision of molecular biology, biochemistry, and medicinal chemistry services to large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and to academic research groups. The company is also developing a pipeline of pre-clinical drugs and targets.

Dr Eddy Littler, Chief Executive Officer of Domainex, commented: “Domainex is excited about this collaboration with the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre that will lead to treatments for a major disease that affects the lives of many patients and their families. The collaboration validates Domainex’s position as the drug discovery partner of choice for biotech and university groups, and will also greatly enhance Domainex’s internal drug discovery pipeline in oncology.”

The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Centre occupies a pre-eminent position in breast cancer research and will enable the collaboration to gain a greater understanding of the role of these two targets in breast cancer as well as access to a number of powerful and unique systems that will allow us to study the biochemistry and cell biology of inhibitors.

Domainex will apply its platform technologies, including LeadBuilder and medicinal chemistry, to identify robust hits and develop them rapidly into leads. This collaboration will greatly increase the prospect of identifying and developing inhibitors of tankyrase and IKK-epsilon for the treatment of breast cancer patients”.

 

To top