Almac taking on cancer in joint project with doctors
PHARMACEUTICAL company Almac is helping fund a new cancer research project with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
Almac Discovery, which is part of the Craigavon-based firm, is to carry out research on targeting the cells that cause cancer to spread to other parts of the body.
The project involves testing the potential of a drug developed by Professor Tracy Robson, head of molecular and cellular therapeutics at RCSI, and Almac Discovery.
It is being tested on patients with solid tumours and is due to be expanded into use on patients with ovarian cancer.
The drug, ALM201, has the potential to treat other cancers, Almac Discovery said.
The research will look at how a particular protein targets the cancer stem cells that are resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and that make it easier for cancer to spread.
Stephen Barr, president and managing director of Almac Discovery, said: “ALM201 continues to surprise us as we uncover the complexities of its effects.
“The interaction of ALM201 with cancer stem cells, if proven with this research, opens up potential further treatment options for cancer patients that can be explored in the clinic.”
Almac Discovery specialises in pharmaceutical research to find new and innovative treatments for cancer.