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Industrial Liaison Group:
Tel: +44 (0) 1235 778797
E-mail: industry@diamond.ac.uk
Diamond Light Source accelerates electrons to near light speed, producing bright light that is directed into research instruments known as beamlines. Cancer Research Horizons and its drug discovery site at Newcastle University have already been using Diamond’s beamlines and XChem facility for fragment-based screening, a powerful approach to identify chemical entities that can be developed rapidly into potent candidates.
The new partnership will build on this existing relationship to improve the throughput, running and analysis of these experiments. By leveraging their combined expertise and resources, the partnership aims to accelerate the drug discovery process and help bring new cancer treatments to patients faster.
Under the agreement, Cancer Research Horizons will fund two on-site postdoctoral research assistants dedicated to optimising the delivery of its in-house and industry-partnered projects. In return, Diamond will provide early access to any proprietary developments to its platform.
The partnership will establish a governance framework to enable Cancer Research Horizons to provide feedback on the industrialisation of Diamond’s Fragment Screening platform. This initiative aims to enhance its appeal to Cancer Research Horizons’ pharmaceutical and biotech partners, driving broader industry engagement.
We are delighted to establish a partnership with Diamond Light Source to capitalise on its XChem fragment screening pipeline, which will synergise with our in-house small-molecule drug discovery capabilities, and enable us to identify chemical starting points against our portfolio of cancer targets to accelerate the delivery of new medicines for patient benefit.
Andrew Turnbull, Group Leader, Structural Biology, Cancer Research Horizons
We are thrilled to partner with Cancer Research Horizons to advance fragment-based drug discovery. By combining our cutting-edge synchrotron technology with the expertise of Cancer Research Horizons, we aim to support the development of new cancer treatments. This collaboration underscores our commitment to leveraging scientific innovation for impactful healthcare solutions.
Elizabeth Shotton, Head of Industrial Liaison at Diamond
Scientists in Newcastle are excited to be part of a partnership that brings together expertise and excellence across multiple sites with a shared ambition of accelerating the discovery of new cancer medicines.
Martin Noble, Professor of Structural Biology and Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery at Newcastle University
Cancer Research Horizons is the innovation engine of Cancer Research UK – the world's largest charitable funder of cancer research. We bring together world-leading minds, bold ideas and the right partners to bridge the gap between academic research and taking drugs to market. We focus on the tougher, more profound ideas that can lead to true innovation, translating them into effective treatments and diagnostics for cancer patients.
To date, we've played an instrumental role in forming over 70 start-ups. We've helped bring 14 cancer drugs to market, borne out of Cancer Research UK's pioneering research. Through these drugs, we have enabled in excess of 6 million courses of treatment for cancer patients across the world.
With access to Cancer Research UK's network of 4,000 exceptional researchers, and £400m of annual research spend, we're a powerful partner in the fight to conquer cancer. By uniting our commercial partnerships and therapeutic innovation capabilities, Cancer Research Horizons is uniquely placed to support translational funding, entrepreneurial development, licensing and collaboration, spinout creation, and offer a full spectrum of drug discovery and clinical capabilities.
Every penny we make goes back into funding the next bold steps, to help bring forward the day when all cancers are conquered.
For more information and to get in touch with the team, visit cancerresearchhorizons.com.
If you would like to discuss using Diamond's XChem facility for your fragment screening research, please get in touch. You can either complete an enquiry form or call us on: +44 (0)1235 778797.
Diamond Light Source is the UK's national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.
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