Here is a guide to the history of CRT since 2002, profiling our major milestones and achievements.
October 2002:
CRT is formed by combining the strengths and employees of its predecessor technology transfer companies, Cancer Research Campaign Technology (CRCT), Cancer Research Ventures (CRV) and Imperial Cancer Research Technology (ICRT). Harpal Kumar is appointed Chief Executive.
September 2003:
The Discovery Committee is established - a joint initiative between Cancer Research Technology and Cancer Research UK - to support the translational development of academic discoveries to pre-clinical proof of efficacy stage.
January 2005:
CRT Discovery Laboratories (CRT-DL) move from Dominion House, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital to The Wolfson Institute of Biomedical Research at UCL. The move facilitates a scale-up of operations later in the year as the number of projects bought into the laboratories increase.
April 2006:
CRT Inc established as our US subsidiary based in Boston. Dr Larry Steranka appointed as Managing Director.
May 2006:
Clinical Development Partnerships (CDP) - a joint initiative between CRT and Cancer Research UK – is established to increase the number of successful new treatments for cancer by taking undeveloped anti-cancer agents from industry and putting them into clinical trials.
April 2007:
Dr Keith Blundy, former Chief Operating Officer, succeeds Harpal Kumar as CEO of CRT. Harpal is appointed CEO of Cancer Research UK.
November 2007:
Dr Hamish Ryder is recruited as its first Director of Discovery, leading operations at the CRT Discovery Laboratories based in Wolfson Institute of Biomedical Research, London.
February 2008:
Cancer Therapeutics CRC Pty Ltd (CTx) – our discovery alliance in Australia - commences operations as one of the largest public/private partnerships of its type in the world.
May 2008:
CRT announces the opening of a Drug Discovery Laboratory in Cambridge. CRT Cambridge houses around 25 medicinal chemists, biochemists and biologists in its building conveniently located for access to the University of Cambridge and Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute. A small CRT laboratory group is also established at Cancer Research UK’s existing institute in Glasgow following the placement of Business Managers in these locations to be closer to the science and the scientists.
May 2008:
AZD0424 - a tyrosine kinase inhibitor from AstraZeneca, is the first treatment to enter the Clinical Development Partnership initiative.
January 2009:
Dr. Melanie Lee, Chairman of CRT and Deputy Chairman of Cancer Research UK is awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Years Honours list.
February 2009:
Sales of Temozolomide, an anti-cancer drug developed by Cancer Research UK scientists and licensed to Schering-Plough through CRT, reach $1 billion.
February 2010:
CRT enters in to a major multi-project 3 year alliance with AstraZeneca to create ‘cancer metabolism’ drugs. This news is quickly followed by the announcement of a partnership with Cephalon to collaborate on the development of small molecule inhibitors.
© Cancer Research Technology 2010