Life Arc and Cancer Research UK have teamed up tolaaunch C-Further, a project addressing the lack of bespoke therapeutics for childhood cancer. £27 million has been poured into this project over the last 5 years. David Jenkinson, Head of Childhood Cancer Translational Challenge at LifeArc, explained that the drivers of childhood cancer are very different from the drivers of adult cancer.
C-Further takes a bold approach to childhood cancer, according to Jenkins taking risks is important to move this therapeutic space forward. With a key focus on targeting childhood cancer drivers, the project is open to all therapeutic modalities including small molecules, antibodies and cell/ and gene therapies.
The initiative consists of 350 drug discovery scientists who have access to high quality infrastructure, labs and are actively collaborating with academic and industry colleagues. The project is actively recruiting additional like-minded partners and seeking funding. Jenkins highlighted their open, feedback-driven application process to build a diverse portfolio of drug discovery programs.
Currently, C-Further’s focus is in the hit discovery and hit to lead phase. There are two open rounds where organisations from both academia and industry can express their interest and submit an application. Jenkins strongly urged the audience to take part and reiterated the importance of advancing this undeveloped field with a high unmet need.
