ESRC-DFID Development Frontiers research fund

ESRC and DFID are pleased to announce a third phase of the ESRC-DFID Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research.

In this third phase, we are launching a call for Development Frontiers Research.

Development Frontiers research can be broadly defined as involving pioneering theoretical and methodological innovation, and/or research based on the engagement of a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives including new links across disciplines that do not usually work together and across non-traditional partnerships. The expectation is that this research will provide a major stimulus to new and novel streams of enquiry or practice.

Characteristics of Development Frontiers research will include the following:

Results that will radically change accepted thinkingThe outcome may be uncertain and the research could lead to unexpected insightsThe research is potentially higher-risk/higher-rewardThe research will produce a broad base of knowledge and new thinking/insights likely to contribute towards the solution of recognised or expected current or future problems or possibilitiesThe research is not incremental

Development Frontiers research might also include:

Radical ways of giving voices to the poorNovel forms of South-South partnershipEarly entrant research on emerging issues.

Applications which are not deemed to have the characteristics outlined in the scope of the call will be rejected. Projects with developing country leads and developing country partners are strongly encouraged.

There will be a stage-gating process for the Development Frontiers Research Fund. Projects will initially be funded for 18 months with a stage one budget of up to £100,000. At the end of year one, projects will be invited to bid for a further 18 months of funding up to £200,000 to continue their research.

Initial applications are invited for projects with a FEC value of up to £100,000 and a duration of 18 months.

Deadline for applications: 16.00 UK time on 29 November 2012 

Any applicant(s) and their institutions intending to apply to this call must ensure they are registered with the Joint Electronic Submission System (Je-S). It is essential to allow sufficient time to secure Je-S registration – we strongly recommend that applicants register with Je-S at least four weeks prior to the call deadline, as no exceptions can be made for late submission of applications.

If you and your research organisation are already registered for Je-S, electronic applications can be accessed via the Je-S website.

See the application instructions for call guidance and details on how to apply.

Please send email queries to dfid@esrc.ac.uk or telephone:

Mary Day +44 (0)1793 413078Lyndy Griffin +44 (0)1793 413135or +44 (0)1793 413125

We also have a call for outline research grants of between £100,000 to £500,000.

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Our drug development pipeline

Our Drug Development Office (DDO) works closely with academic and industry partners to bring novel and innovative research to the oncology field. 

In our portfolio of 30 projects, we currently have 13 trials open to recruitment throughout the UK including two paediatric studies, two glioblastoma trials and one in pancreatic cancer. Two projects have received MHRA approval to open over the next couple of months.

In partnership with AstraZeneca, we recently opened a new study (AZD0424), which is the first of its kind in early phase oncology. It involves an adaptive study design – where the planned treatment to be given to patients is modified as the trial progresses. This means we will be able to monitor the data we receive in the first phase of the trial and feed this back into the study to adapt the types of drugs we use in the second part as the trial is happening. This should hopefully enable a more streamlined way to test drugs in the future. We are also investigating a first-in-class molecule targeting lactate metabolism as a novel therapeutic approach to cancer (AZD3965 (MCT-1)).

Recently the DI-B4, a monoclonal antibody, received regulatory approval. This is used to treat patients with indolent B-cell malignancies. B-cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia are the most common types of haematological malignancies in adults in the West, yet both are considered incurable. 

The DI-B4 project exemplifies our manufacturing capabilities and our ability to provide expertise in a competitive field while attracting company and academic interest into this innovative model of early phase development. This project was brought to the DDO via the Clinical Development Partnerships (CDP) initiative by Merck KGaA. CDP is a joint initiative launched in partnership with our commercial arm, Cancer Research Technology. The programme allows us to form strong links with industry to take promising drugs forward into early phase clinical trials that otherwise would not be developed by pharmaceutical companies.

Working closely with Merck KGaA, the DDO’s Biotherapeutics Development Unit (BDU) has transferred the manufacturing process for this antibody to the unit. The BDU was successful in modifying and adapting the process to ensure consistent and robust antibody supply for a Phase I clinical trial. The £18 million state-of-the-art GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) facility is the only stand-alone facility of such size owned by a non-commercial organisation. This purpose-built unit offers operational flexibility and holds a MHRA Investigational Medicinal Product (IMP) licence. 

The clinical trial is expected to open at the lead site in Southampton in June 2013 under Chief Investigator Dr. Andrew Davies. Participating centres include The Christie under Principal Investigator Professor John Radford and Liverpool under Principal Investigator Professor Andrew Pettitt.

If you would like to know more about the project, please contact the Project Manager, Tara Gipp.  If you would like to know more about applying for DDO project support, please contact Kate Searle.

# DI-B4 is an anti-CD19 IgG1 monoclonal antibody de-immunised with potent antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) but minimal complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) activity

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