IL-17E is a pro-inflammatory cytokine protein with a potential to stimulate immune response against cancer cells.
Cancer Research UK’s Drug Development Office (DDO) will fund and carry out further research in order to identify the underlying mechanism of the drug in killing the cancer cells.
DDO will then fund and manage the first Phase I trial of IL-17E that will be manufactured and supplied by Lorus for the non-clinical toxicology and Phase I studies.
Lorus president and CEO Dr Aiping Young said, "IL-17E fits all the criteria to potentially qualify as a truly unique, first-in-class cytokine-based approach to treating a range of solid tumors."
Subsequent to the Phase I trial, Lorus has an option to license the trial data and advance clinical development failing on which the rights would be transferred to Cancer Research Technology.
Cancer Research Technology will find for another partner to carry out the additional development operations while Lorus holds few economic interests.
CDP is a joint initiative between Cancer Research UK’s DDO and Cancer Research Technology that will take the anti cancer drugs through preclinical development and initial trials, which or else might be left undeveloped.