Innovative Targets Portfolio

Most academic research into disease biology is insufficiently validated for direct incorporation into pharmaceutical company pipelines. Consequently, an enormous amount of scientific research in UK universities fails be translated into public health benefit. Our innovative targets portfolio (ITP) seeks to address this gap by translating academic research and novel drug targets into licensable data packages suitable to attract follow-on investment. ITP sources innovative biology from leading investigators across the UK and beyond and forms active research collaborations and translational plans to validate novel targets with small molecule drug discovery. Data packages including novel chemical assets showing proof of concept in cell or tissue models are partnered with the BioPharma industry for onward development.

Translation of research excellence into tangible public benefit is at the heart of the University strategy and is evidenced by the impact from the ITP. We continue to deliver a strong pipeline of commercialisation opportunities and sustainable partnerships with industry.

Given the nature of innovative target drug discovery, this group within the DDU is exposed to many different types of disease biology and collaborations with both academia and industry.

We continue our work with biotech companies (Bukwang, Beactica), pharma (Takeda, GSK) and acknowledge the key insights and world leading expertise that our academic collaborators from Dundee, Oxford, Cambridge and Queen Mary University of London bring to our Innovative Targets Portfolio.

→ 2022 was an exciting year with one of our licenced projects entering phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and advanced solid tumours via Pacylex (www.pacylex.com).

The first patient treated with PCLX-001 (formerly DDD86481) was reported in March 2022 (doi: 10.3390/ curroncol29030158 ) with trials continuing. In January 2023 PCLX-001 was granted Fast Track Designation for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) based on the results from non-clinical studies and the ongoing nonHodgkins lymphoma trials.

→ ITP were back on the road at BioEurope Autumn partnering event (Leipzig) for the first time since the pandemic started in 2020. It was a great feeling to be networking in person and building new relationships face to face.

“For me a highlight of 2022 was the cross disciplinary training sessions. ITP work on a lot of different projects spanning multiple diseases, pathways and drug discovery techniques so understanding of different disciplines makes for a much better and more efficient project team.” Dinesh,

Biologist

Oncology- PCLX-001 (Pacylex)

Tauopathies

RNACapRx

Parkinson’s disease

Oncology

Ageing

Funders and consortia

“The development and application of our Interference library has been a step-change in our screening approach in ITP.”

Mary, Medicinal Chemist