We can develop your new cancer treatments from preclinical development through to early phase patient trials.

We consider applicants that:

• Have a novel cancer agent needing preclinical and/or clinical development
• Have supporting in vivo efficacy data
• Are based at a UK academic institution or;
• Are a pharmaceutical or biotech company (UK or international)
• Have already been in touch with our Centre for Drug Development to discuss the suitability of their proposal
• All technology areas are considered, including small molecule, biological and other therapeutics.
• Examples of eligible projects include those requiring:
• Preclinical development, including biomarkers, assays, and formulation development prior to a phase 1 trial
• Phase 1 trials, including phase 1a and 1b, first-in-human and first-in-class
• Combinations of unregistered and registered agents
• Early phase 2 proof of principle trials
• Studies on unlicensed agents in active commercial development that are off the company’s critical path or repurposed novel agents

Drug Development Projects are not external grant funding awards. Approved projects are sponsored and managed by our Centre for Drug Development (CDD), and a project team is allocated to work in partnership with you. The CDD manage the project for as long as necessary to support preclinical and early clinical development of the novel agent. This includes:

• Managed preclinical and clinical development
• Management of regulatory documents and communication with relevant authorities throughout the trial
• Protocol design and trial management
• Oversight of trial safety and clinical data
• Treatment of patients in a UK-wide network of clinical centres with world-leading scientific investigators and expertise in early clinical trials