Modern Bioscience PLC and the University of Dundee to develop novel cancer drug

Re-profiling of rimcazole as an anti-cancer drug based on pioneering science at Dundee

06-Aug-2007

Modern Biosciences plc and the University of Dundee have entered into an agreement to develop a new treatment for cancer, rimcazole. Under the terms of this agreement, the University will grant an exclusive worldwide licence to Modern Biosciences for the development of rimcazole in cancer and Modern Biosciences will fund and manage the development programme. Revenues generated through commercialisation of the drug will be shared by Modern Biosciences and the University. Modern Biosciences expects rimcazole to be in clinical trials in patients within a year.

Rimcazole has already been the subject of a clinical trial programme in a different therapeutic area, schizophrenia. The re-profiling of rimcazole for cancer is lower risk than a normal development programme as there is already a considerable amount of pre-clinical and clinical safety data available. These data will allow Modern Biosciences to move into Phase I trials rapidly.

The development of rimcazole for the treatment of cancer has been made possible through the groundbreaking research of Dr Barbara Spruce and her team at the University of Dundee. Dr Spruce's work has focussed on the so-called 'sigma-1 receptor', which has been the subject of considerable pharmaceutical research in the field of psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Dr Spruce and her team were the first to show that agents that bind to the sigma-1 receptor (such as rimcazole) cause tumour cells, but not normal cells, to undergo apoptosis. In recognition of her work, Dr Spruce received the inaugural Gannochy Trust Innovation Award of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2003.

The University, with the help of funding from the Wellcome Trust, the North-East Scotland Technology Fund (NESTech) and Scottish Enterprise, has progressed rimcazole to the point of clinical development, a unique achievement within a Scottish university.

Modern Biosciences plans to initiate Phase I dosing studies in healthy volunteers this year. Phase Ib trials, which will monitor tumour growth and several biomarkers that are indicators of disease progression, are expected to start in 2008. Modern Biosciences believes that proof-of-concept data for rimcazole in cancer could be available within two years.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/66850/modern-bioscience-plc-and-the-university-of-dundee-to-develop-novel-cancer-drug.html