A $1.25 million investment is driving the development of a new treatment for advanced and therapy-resistant prostate cancer at The University of Queensland. 

Based on research by Professor Greg Monteith from UQ’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the drug (QED-203) is being developed by the Queensland Emory Drug Discovery Initiative (QEDDI), the small molecule drug discovery arm of UniQuest, the university’s commercialisation company. 

The funding is from US-based global drug accelerator Critical Path Institute’s Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRxA). 

“We are incredibly grateful to Critical Path Institute for the support as we advance our novel prostate cancer therapy, QED-203, toward clinical development,” said Dr Brian Dymock, Head of QEDDI. “This funding will enable us to conduct key drug manufacturing and safety studies, bringing QED-203 significantly closer to becoming a novel therapeutic option for patients who would otherwise have very limited treatment options.” 

Dr Dymock said QED-203’s mode of action led the QEDDI team to discover the drug’s target was particularly relevant for treating patients with advanced disease. 

“Our first work on this target and its importance in cancer progression began almost 15 years ago,” Professor Monteith added. “It is very exciting to have worked with QEDDI scientists who have developed this first-in-class drug that now has the potential to better treat prostate cancers that have become resistant to current therapies.” 

The researchers say QED-203 has a unique mode of action that aimed to improve the survival and quality of life of those with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) when they had exhausted all available treatment options. 

The funding will facilitate critical preclinical studies, process optimisation, drug substance manufacturing and safety studies, paving the way for QED-203 to potentially advance to human clinical trials.

Diana Spencer, Senior Digital Content Editor, DDW