Cancer Research UK partners with Centella to develop radiotherapy-enhancing drug

Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research Technology - the charity's development and commercialization arm - have partnered with Centella Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), to develop, manufacture and trial a promising new drug candidate, CEN-209 in cancer patients with solid tumors.

CEN-209, discovered at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre and exclusively licensed to Centella from UniServices, a wholly-owned company of The University of Auckland, New Zealand, is designed to provide benefit when used together with radiotherapy and chemotherapy to treat solid tumors. CEN-209 is the seventh drug candidate to enter Cancer Research UK's Clinical Development Partnerships (CDP) scheme.

CEN-209 has the potential to destroy the areas of tumors which are low in oxygen - or hypoxic. Tumor cells become hypoxic because the blood vessels supplying them with nutrients and oxygen are often weak, twisted and ineffective due to the rapid growth of the tumour. Cancer cells that are hypoxic are more resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and often survive such treatment. By destroying the hypoxic part of tumors with CEN-209 in parallel to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, it is hoped that this combination treatment will be more effective.