The Institute of Cancer Research

Prostate cancer’s resistance to treatment can be reversed in some patients by stopping hijacked white blood cells from being ‘pulled into’ tumours, according to new research published in Nature. In an early clinical trial, researchers showed that blocking the messages cancer uses to hijack white blood cells can re-sensitise a subset of advanced prostate cancers […]

Merck and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, UK, have renewed their strategic alliance in the discovery and development of new cancer drugs. Scientists in the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery at the ICR will work with researchers at Merck to discover and develop new small-molecule inhibitors of an exciting new class of cancer […]

A new study has shed light on the genetic messages encoded by genes within ‘triple negative’ breast cancers (TNBC), and shows they could predict response to chemotherapy. The study, by researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, shows that certain characteristics within patients’ primary tumours can predict how they will respond to different treatments […]

New findings suggest PARP inhibitor drugs, used to treat cancer patients who have an altered BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, may also be effective for patients which have changes in the SF3B1 gene. If further research supports these findings, there is the potential that existing PARP inhibitor drugs such as olaparib, talazoparib and niraparib, might be […]

Scientists have unveiled the first and largest encyclopaedia of protein alterations in soft tissue sarcomas – opening the door to a new era of understanding and treatment for this group of rare cancers. The pioneering encyclopaedia, or ‘Rosetta Stone’, of sarcoma biology compiles a wealth of information that could help untangle the protein changes driving […]

Researchers will combine expertise in drug discovery, artificial intelligence (AI), and experimental cancer models and platforms in a new programme to design the precision cancer drugs of the future. Under an academic and commercial collaboration between The Institute of Cancer Research, London, the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Barcelona, and the company Vivan Therapeutics, a […]

A targeted drug combination for patients with a type of ovarian cancer could be nearly twice as effective as the next best treatment, according to interim results from a Phase II study. Researchers hope these results, which were presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, will lead to a new […]

Pancreatic cancer cells can change their ‘diet’ to keep growing, by switching from the sugar glucose to a back-up fuel called uridine, new research has revealed. The findings suggest that blocking the availability of uridine using new drugs could become a new treatment strategy for the most common and aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. The […]

An ovarian cancer drug, which targets the alpha folate receptor (FRα), is set to enter Phase II trials. Idetrexed (formerly known as BTG945, ONX-0901 and CT900) was created by scientific teams in what is now The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, London, UK. The drug has already shown particular promise […]

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, are teaming up with small molecule neoantigen immuno-oncology company NeoPhore to develop new potential cancer drugs. Under a new strategic research collaboration, an ICR team led by Professor Chris Lord will investigate the effect of NeoPhore’s inhibitors on tumours in the laboratory. The inhibitors are small molecules […]

The UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended that Lynparza (olaparib) can be used for NHS patients with both early-stage breast cancer and prostate cancer. Olaparib is PARP inhibitor that targets cancers linked to faulty BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes and works across many different cancer types. The recommendation will grant patients in […]

A new, oral, first-in-class experimental cancer drug has shown potent activity against cancer cells and caused shrinkage of hard-to-treat human ovarian tumours grown in mice, a new study shows. The drug, which is now called NXP800 and has already entered a Phase I clinical trial, was discovered by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, […]

A new paper has solved the 20-year mystery of how epigenetic modifications act as traffic lights to control gene expression and could ultimately speed up the development of a new class of epigenetic cancer drugs.  Epigenetics is still largely unexplored and referred to as the ‘dark matter’ of the genome. But the new findings answer […]

A new type of targeted medicine has shown ‘remarkable’ benefits for patients with advanced breast cancer in a major Phase III clinical trial.  The drug capivasertib combined with hormone therapy doubled the time it took for cancer to progress in people with advanced forms of the most common type of breast cancer.  The findings establish […]

Scientists have revealed the inner workings of a key protein involved in a wide range of cellular processes – potentially paving the way for better and less toxic cancer drugs.  Using Nobel Prize-winning microscopy techniques, the researchers revealed how the tankyrase protein switches itself on and off by self-assembling into 3D chain-like structures.  Their study, […]

Cancer is supported by complex ecosystems within the body which can be disrupted by cutting-edge new treatments and cures, cancer researchers have concluded.  The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have revealed plans to direct research against the cells, signals and immune response in the tissue environment that nurtures […]