Pre-clinical target validation work for a cancer drug target
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Pre-clinical work using human samples to aid target validation and disease positioning of cancer drug target(s) in oncology and immune-oncology research
IRAS ID
360226
Contact name
Stuart Farrow
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
CRH
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
CRH are investigating a novel drug target for cancer therapy. Access to human tissue will support our efforts to explore the potential of targeting this protein and to determine which cancers may be suitable for treatment with agents directed against it, and also to demonstrate drug efficacy.
In recent years, the therapeutic potential of modulating the immune system and tumour microenvironment (TME) in cancer treatment has become increasingly recognised. We are investigating an innovative approach in this area. The ability to conduct experiments using human tissue-derived cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), tumour-infiltrating immune cells, or immune cells isolated from peripheral blood will be instrumental in advancing this work. Furthermore, assessing the function of the protein in immune and CAF populations isolated from tumours will deepen our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the proposed therapy.
To fully assess the suitability of this drug target, it is essential to identify which cells within the immune system and TME express the target protein, and whether it is also present in healthy tissues. Therefore, both tumour and healthy human tissue samples will be required for this study. This is a critical step, as understanding the distribution of the target protein in the body will help anticipate and minimise potential toxicities associated with future therapies.
We intend to obtain anonymised samples of human tumours (including both solid and haematological cancers), healthy tissues, and peripheral blood from commercial suppliers, academic collaborators, or the NHS including such as NHS Blood and Transplant (NHS-BT), and NHS Glasgow Biorepository. All samples will be fully anonymised, and donors will not be identifiable to us.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/1028
Date of REC Opinion
5 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion