UCB Expands Strategic Alliance with Cancer Research UK to Accelerate Novel Cancer Therapy Development
核心洞察
UCB (搜索) announced a new multi-project strategic alliance with Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research Horizons (搜索) to advance novel investigational oncology candidates from discovery through early clinical development.
The expanded partnership builds on a successful 2023 collaboration that has progressed two antibody drug candidates into ongoing clinical trials across multiple UK and European sites.
UCB (搜索) has nominated two additional projects from its internal pipeline to enter the alliance, with Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development responsible for Phase 1/2 clinical trial design and execution.
UCB (搜索), a global biopharmaceutical company, announced on May 7, 2026, a new multi-project strategic alliance with Cancer Research UK and its innovation arm, Cancer Research Horizons (搜索). The collaboration aims to unite Cancer Research UK's world-leading oncology expertise with UCB's strengths in discovery and development to advance a pipeline of novel investigational oncology candidates.
Expanding Successful Partnership
The new alliance builds upon a successful multi-project collaboration between UCB (搜索) and Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development that was announced in 2023. This previous partnership has already progressed two antibody drug candidates into ongoing clinical trials recruiting across multiple UK and European sites. The parties are now expanding the partnership to include earlier-stage discovery and preclinical programmes, with UCB seeking to leverage Cancer Research UK's deep oncology knowledge, access to leading clinical investigators, and extensive drug discovery and development capabilities.
Alliance Structure and Operations
Under the new alliance, Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development and Cancer Research Horizons (搜索)' Therapeutic Innovation teams will work with UCB (搜索) to progress potential therapeutics from research stages through to early clinical development. UCB will nominate research and development projects from its internal discovery pipeline at any stage of development. Each selected project that enters the alliance will be jointly progressed through discovery and preclinical development activities.
Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development will then be responsible for the design, preparation, sponsorship and performance of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for each candidate. UCB (搜索) has already nominated two projects to enter this new alliance, adding to the two programs currently underway with Cancer Research UK.
Financial and Commercial Terms
Research and development costs will be funded jointly by the partners. UCB (搜索) will retain exclusive rights to further develop and commercialise all programmes that enter the alliance, while Cancer Research Horizons (搜索) will receive undisclosed success-based milestone and royalty payments contingent on downstream project progression.
Leadership Perspectives
Lars Erwig, Director of the Centre for Drug Development at Cancer Research UK, emphasized the alliance's mission: "This alliance exemplifies our mission to translate exceptional science into life-changing treatments for people with cancer (搜索). By integrating our oncology expertise with UCB (搜索)'s strengths in molecule discovery, we can accelerate the development of innovative therapeutics with the potential to make real impact for patients."
Alistair Henry, Executive Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer at UCB (搜索), highlighted the strategic value of the partnership: "Partnering with CRUK's Centre for Drug Development and Cancer Research Horizons (搜索) allows us to harness their world-class oncology expertise and clinical insights, complementing UCB's strengths in discovery and development. This collaboration is a testament to the power of strategic alliances and creates a unique synergy that will enable us to advance promising therapies more efficiently and effectively."
Cancer Research UK's Track Record
Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development has been pioneering the development of new cancer (搜索) treatments for 30 years. The center has completed over 170 clinical trials designed to explore potential new anti-cancer agents in patients. Six of these new agents have made it to market, including temozolomide for brain cancer (搜索), abiraterone for prostate cancer (搜索) and rucaparib for ovarian cancer (搜索).
Cancer Research Horizons (搜索) has played an instrumental role in forming over 90 start-ups and has helped bring 14 cancer (搜索) drugs to market, born out of Cancer Research UK's pioneering research. Through these drugs, it has enabled in excess of 6 million courses of treatment for cancer patients across the world. With access to Cancer Research UK's network of 4,000 exceptional researchers and £400 million of annual research spend, it represents a powerful partner in cancer drug development.