Roche And A*STAR Ink Drug Discovery Deal
A*STAR's Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) announced that it has signed into agreement with pharma giant Roche to identify new drug candidates for the treatment and early detection of cancer.
The partnership will tap BTI’s capabilities in novel antibody discovery as well as Roche’s technology in developing monoclonal antibody (mAbs) therapeutics. BTI will leverage its discovery of a new mechanism that enables antibodies to directly target and attack cancer cells through recognition of cancer cells’ raised sugar levels on the cell surface. After recognizing cancer cells from normal ones, the mAbs cause cancer cell surface pores to open, which leads to cell degradation and ultimately death.
Dr Andre Choo, Principal Scientist at BTI and the one who will lead the project, said, “It is exciting to be able to generate a new class of mAbs that can specifically recognize sugars and lead to rapid death of diseased cells. This opens up new strategies to target and kill cancer cells.” BTI scientists have developed a pipeline of mAbs based on the technology for major cancers in Singapore. Collaborating with Roche will enable quicker development of new diagnostic tests and treatments which could support existing cancer regimens.
The company’s Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) has also announced a new partnership with Hellma Analytics (Hellma) early last month for the joint development of next generation manufacturing technologies tailored for the pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals sectors.
Commenting on the drug discovery partnership with A*STAR, Dr. Juan-Carlos Lopez, Head of the Roche Pharma Research and Early Development Academic Relations and Collaborations, said, “Accessing external innovation through partnerships with public sector research institutes is crucial for identifying first-in-class or best-in-class opportunities. Bringing together the know-how of BTI and the expertise of Roche increases the chance of success in developing novel antibody-based therapeutics targeting both cancer and cancer stem cells which have the potential to revolutionize how we treat cancer.”