Joint Annual Research Report 2004 - The Royal Marsden

Technology Transfer
Report 2004
The Institute and the Royal Marsden work with commercial
partners so that research findings can be developed and
distributed for the benefit of patients worldwide.
The Director of Enterprise outlines the highlights of this
technology transfer activity during 2004.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Susan Bright
PhD
Dr Susan Bright is
Director of Enterprise
of The Institute of
Cancer Research
The Enterprise Unit at the The Institute, working
together with the Royal Marsden, has again had a
very active and successful year.
The objective of the Enterprise Unit is to facilitate
the transfer of research outputs to commercial
organisations that can provide development resources.
Inventions are thereby disseminated to as wide a
patient base as possible.
Our technology transfer
effort focuses primarily on
ensuring that the route of
development chosen is
capable of delivering
maximum patient benefit.
Return of revenue to The Institute and the Royal
Marsden is a welcome additional result of the work
of the Enterprise Unit. The Enterprise Unit continues to
work in partnership with Cancer Research Technology
Ltd (CRT) who take the lead in the commercial
exploitation of Cancer Research UK funded work.
The Unit also works closely with British Technology
Group (BTG), The Wellcome Trust and other technology
transfer organisations as appropriate to specific projects.
Astex Technology Ltd
(PKB Collaboration)
In 2003 The Institute began a collaboration with
the fragment-based, drug discovery company Astex
Technology Ltd on the development of novel
inhibitors of the enzyme protein kinase B (PKB).
It is anticipated that these inhibitors will be useful
anticancer drugs. Professors David Barford, Paul
Workman and Dr Michelle Garrett are project leaders
at The Institute for this collaboration. Good progress
continues to be made and the partnership is clearly
illustrating the synergy that can be achieved when two
strong research teams work together. Two series of
novel potent PKB inhibitors have been identified.
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