Cancer Research UK and Abcam launch custom partnership to accelerate cancer research

- Long-term partnership to facilitate cancer research through development of custom antibodies
- Agreement to enable global access to resulting reagents and potential diagnostics

London, UK and Cambridge, UK – 07 July 2020 – Today, Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest independent funder of cancer research and Abcam plc, a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, are pleased to announce a new partnership for the development and commercialization of novel custom antibodies to support the acceleration of cancer research.
Under the terms of the partnership, Abcam will develop custom protein-based reagents to targets identified by Cancer Research UK-funded researchers. The resulting antibodies will support research to further the understanding of cancer biology, help generate new diagnostic tools, and potentially be the basis for novel therapies.

Tony Hickson, CBO at Cancer Research UK, said: “We are excited to be partnering with Abcam to expand our access to biological reagents and to create the tools our scientists need to help accelerate our understanding of cancer. Abcam’s antibody development capabilities and “end-to-end” expertise will help provide our researchers with antibody reagents that can be applied from early-stage R&D right through to the clinic.”

Dr John Baker, SVP Product Portfolio Innovation at Abcam, commented: “We are proud to be working with Cancer Research UK to support their scientists and to provide them with access to specific and validated reagents to help them achieve their next breakthrough faster.”

Abcam will, upon request, supply unique antibodies developed within the terms of the agreement to Cancer Research UK-funded researchers for an agreed period of exclusivity in relation to that antibody. Subsequently, Abcam’s global supply capability and co-location in major technology hubs throughout the world will enable these innovative reagents to be made readily accessible to the wider research and diagnostic development community.