(Photo credit: UniQuest )
A promising new treatment for advanced and therapy-resistant prostate cancer developed from research conducted at The University of Queensland is now one step closer to reaching patients.
UQ's commercialisation company UniQuest has entered into an exclusive licence agreement with the Los Angeles-based Ellison Medical Institute (EMI) to develop and commercialise UQ's small molecule therapeutic QED-203.
The partnership will accelerate QED-203 into first-in-human studies in 2027 as a treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), where patients often have limited treatment options.
Based on research led by Professor Greg Monteith from UQ's School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, QED-203 was developed at the Queensland Emory Drug Discovery Initiative (QEDDI), the small molecule drug discovery group of UniQuest.
'Limited options'
QEDDI Head Dr Brian Dymock said QED-203 is a potential first-in-class therapy targeting a calcium ion channel known as TRPV6 associated with aggressive prostate cancer.
"Patients with this advanced metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer often face very limited options once existing therapies stop working," Dr Dymock said.
"Our goal has been to develop a novel treatment approach that could ultimately improve clinical outcomes for patients with advanced and therapy-resistant disease."
Professor Monteith said the deal marked an important milestone built on more than 15 years of research into the role of calcium-signalling in cancer progression.
"This deal reflects years of collaboration with QEDDI scientists to develop a completely new therapeutic approach for patients with advanced disease," Professor Monteith said.
'Urgent unmet needs'
Under the agreement, EMI will support the continued development of QED-203 using its integrated capabilities, including AI-driven research, human-relevant preclinical models, and in-house clinical expertise.
Established in 2016, Ellison Medical Institute is a clinical and research organisation advancing cancer research, translation science, and drug development to bring innovative therapies to patients faster.
EMI Founding CEO, Dr David Agus said he was excited to support the development of QED-203 to address urgent unmet needs in metastatic prostate cancer and meaningfully benefit patients.
"EMI is uniquely positioned to push this work forward, with deep expertise in oncology and a translational mission built for programs like this," Dr Agus said.
"Together, with UniQuest, we're bringing expertise and a shared sense of purpose needed to move this work forward for the patients and families who need it most."
Partnership impact
UniQuest CEO Dr Dean Moss said the deal highlighted the strength of QEDDI's model for translating world-class research at UQ into commercial opportunities with the potential to deliver impact.
"This partnership demonstrates the value of building dedicated drug discovery and translation capability around outstanding university research," Dr Moss said.
"QEDDI was established to help transform promising discoveries from UQ into high-quality development candidates, and this partnership with EMI is a strong example of that model in action.
"It is particularly pleasing to see a therapy originating from UQ research attract an international partner like EMI, whose strong R&D capabilities can help accelerate QED-203's path to the clinic and, in time, to patients."
Collaboration and acknowledgements
QED-203 has been supported by the Biomedical Translation Bridge (an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund delivered by MTPConnect); the Critical Path Institute's Translational Therapeutics Accelerator; and the National Health and Medical Research Council Development Grant scheme to fund key preclinical studies, manufacturing and safety activities.
