Cancer drug developer ValiRx (LON:VAL) has signed a new collaborative research project with Professor Paul Taylor, the co-inventor of one of its two treatments currently going through clinical trials.
Professor Taylor has recently moved to the University of Leeds from the University of Warwick, where he helped develop VAL401, a treatment targeting lung cancer primarily and the lead product of Valiseek, a joint venture between ValiRx and Tangent Reprofiling.
VAL401 is currently gearing up for the start of a Phase11B clinical trial.
The new collaboration will give ValiRx access to Professor Taylor's work on a project to develop a gene-based technology and technique for biomarkers and targeted therapeutic agents.
ValiRx will own and be responsible for the intellectual property, with commercial benefits to be shared between the company and the University of Leeds.
A PhD student will develop the project for three and a half years under the guidance of Professor Taylor and Dr Suzanne Dilly, Valiseek’s chief executive.
"It is excellent to be working with Paul again and I am very pleased that he would like ValiRx to join with him and collaborate, right at the start of this new and potentially groundbreaking research project," Dilly said.
Satu Vainikka, ValiRx’s chief executive, added: "This potential new science has an excellent fit with our current portfolio".