Cytopia drug shepherded into Cancer Research UK program

Melbourne drug-discovery biotech Cytopia has made it onto the dance card of the world's largest volunteer-supported cancer research organisation, Cancer Research UK after the UK agency agreed to take Cytopia's promising anti-cancer drug CYT997 into its clinical trial program.

Cancer Research UK has taken more than 100 new cancer drugs into human trials, and after reviewing Cytopia's pre-clinical data, its New Agents Committee gave CYT997 ticks for its novelty, potential therapeutic benefit, and likelihood of clinical success.

Cancer Research UK specialises in accelerating promising new cancer therapeutics through clinical trials, and Cytopia's Chief Scientific Officer Dr Andrew Wilks said its decision to take on CYT997 verifies the Australian-developed drug's enormous clinical potential.

Cancer Research UK supports the work of more than 3000 scientists from its annual budget of £213 million.

Cytopia said its drug's admission to Cancer Research UK's clinical trials program gave the company direct access to leading British oncologists and world-class clinical trial facilities.

CYT997 is synthetic molecule, designed for oral delivery. It prevents cancerous cells dividing by disrupting the polymerisation of tubulin, which forms the tiny, contractile threads that attach to newly minted pairs of chromosomes and tow them apart, in the prelude to cell division.

In vitro trials by Cytopia's researchers have shown that CYT997 inhibits the growth and replication of a wide range of blood-borne and solid-tumour cancer cell lines at extremely low concentrations in the nanomolar range.

The drug significantly inhibited the growth of experimental grafted human and mouse cancer cells when applied to the skin of laboratory animals, or injected subcutaneously, without adverse effects.

Under their agreement, Cancer Research UK will assist Cytopia in completing the drug's preclinical development before beginning a Phase I clinical trial early next year.