Cancer Research UK and Astellas join forces on pancreatic cancer treatment

Japanese drug major Astellas Pharma (TYO: 4503) is joining forces with Cancer Research UK and its commercial arm, Cancer Research Technology (CRT), to find new drug targets in the fight against cancer, with an initial focus on pancreatic cancer.

As part of a new collaboration, Cancer Research UK, CRT and Astellas will conduct a two-year research program in the UK to find promising new drug targets for pancreatic cancer. Certain pancreatic cancers are dependent on autophagy, the process of consuming your own cellular parts for energy, in order to grow. Blocking this pathway may help stop some pancreatic cancers.

Under the terms of the deal, the first stage aims to identify and then validate the best possible drug targets to block the autophagy pathway in pancreatic cancer cells. This research will be carried out by Kevin Ryan at the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute and Sharon Tooze at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute.