Member Article

Redx Oncology to support Liverpool tissue bank

Redx Oncology has entered into an agreement with the University of Liverpool and the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust (RLBUHT) to provide support to the Liverpool Tissue Bank (LTB).

The cancer research and development centre, a division of Liverpool drug discovery company Redx Pharma, will provide staff to help with the day-to-day running of the LTB.

Redx Oncology, a private company developing new anti-cancer drugs, was launched last year. It is based at laboratories within the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

The LTB is a resource jointly run and shared by the University of Liverpool and RLBUHT, where samples from consenting patients with cancer are collected. These samples provide a vital resource for research groups investigating how cancers arise and developing new treatments to treat them, with the aim of improving patient survival.

Redx staff will help analyse and capture data from these tissue samples at the LTB, providing valuable support for LTB staff. Scientific data generated will also be used to progress Redx Oncology’s work to develop novel anti-cancer drugs.

Dr Mary-Ann Campbell, Head of Biology at Redx Oncology, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting the important work which the LTB enables. The tissue bank is a great resource which allows us to analyse cancer cells in their most realistic or ‘active’ form, helping us to work on developing drugs which can more accurately target and defeat this incredibly complex disease.”

Dr Neil Murray, CEO of Redx Pharma, said: “By providing our staff to support the LTB, we hope to help the LTB team with the day-to-day running of this fantastic facility, to the benefit of all involved. We already work very closely with the University, the CRUK Centre and the Royal in our fight against cancer and this agreement extends those links.

“The pharmaceutical industry is rapidly adopting a more collaborative model of research and development. Through partnerships of this nature, we’re positioning Redx at the forefront of this game-changing model, which sees businesses working in tandem with leading academics and clinicians to create the most efficient, effective and sustainable solutions for the ultimate benefit of patients.”

Prof. Sarah Coupland, Director of the LTB, said: “I am very pleased that Redx is willing to collaborate with the LTB, which is one of the oldest Tissue Banks in the UK. The LTB is celebrating its 20th anniversary in November this year in the CRUK Liverpool Centre. The support of Redx will guarantee that this essential work, in tissue and data collection continues long term according to national standards, and that researchers have the opportunity to access invaluable material, donated generously by cancer patients. This collaborative effort is all being undertaken with the aim of improving cancer patient care and survival, and I sincerely hope we can achieve this sooner rather than later.”

Prof Chris Holcombe, Cancer Lead at the Royal said: “The cancer specialists at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital are delighted with this collaboration with Redx and Liverpool University, and most importantly the precious resource of tissue donated by our patients will be even more effectively used, as we search for even better cancer treatments.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .