Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research Technology (CRT) will begin a phase I clinical trial of a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) anti-cancer drug.
GSK's 1070916A, an aurora kinase inhibitor, is the third drug to enter Cancer Research UK's Clinical Development Partnerships (CDP) programme, but the first that is ready to be used in patients.
Cancer Research UK will sponsor the phase I trial, at the Institute of Oncology at St James's University Hospital in Leeds and at Barts and The London's Cancer Centre in London.
The charity's drug-development office will manage the trial, which will start in the next year.
The phase I trial will be carried out on around 30 to 40 advanced solid-tumour patients that have received all the treatments currently available.
Cancer Research UK will carry out a further phase II trial if the original one is successful.
CDP offers companies an alternative model to traditional out licensing, enabling them to retain rights to the compound throughout the development programme.
The programme began in 2006, with the aim of increasing the number of new treatments for cancer patients by taking de-prioritised anti-cancer agents from industry and putting them into clinical trials.
Under the terms of the partnership deal with GSK, Cancer Research UK will fund the study through early clinical development.
GSK will have an option to further develop and commercialise the molecule in exchange for future payments to Cancer Research UK.
If GSK elects not to take the programme forward, the rights to the molecule will be given to CRT to secure an alternative partner.
