PharmAust (ASX:PAA), a clinical-stage oncology company, has announced a collaboration with Dr Doug Fairlie, a leading cancer researcher based at the prestigious Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) in Victoria.
The company said the aim of the collaboration is to better understand how its leading clinical candidate, monepantel (MPL), is able to kill cancer cells. it added a further aim is to identify drug combinations that improve MPL potency against different types of cancers.
These outcomes will be used to support and accelerate MPL’s clinical development strategies in humans and dogs.
The collaboration has been awarded a $50,000 Innovation Connections Grant from the federal Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
"We are excited about the potential of this project which builds upon the long-term research interests of our laboratory," said Dr Fairlie.
PharmAust CEO Dr Richard Hopkins said: “This collaboration will build upon our current understanding of how MPL works. Determining whether MPL has a novel mode of action could unlock substantial commercial value and will also help inform our selection of cancers that will most likely respond to MPL treatment in clinical trials.
“We are very pleased about the grant award and particularly delighted to be working with Dr Fairlie and the ONJCRI, which is home to many of Australia’s leading cancer researchers and clinicians. The translational capacity of this institute is formidable as it integrates both basic and clinical research with over 200 clinical trials in progress at any one time.”