Olaparib is the first in a new type of targeted cancer drug called a PARP inhibitor. The drug was developed thanks to pioneering research made possible by Curestarters like you. Olaparib has so far been used to treat 140,000 people with cancer worldwide – and many clinical trials are ongoing to see if olaparib can save the lives of more people with cancer.
There’s no guarantee of success with clinical trials. The striking thing was that, within not too many months of those trials, certain patients were responding in some very pronounced and outstanding ways. I don’t tend to think of myself as a lifesaver. If I take a step back for a moment and think about what my research has led to, I guess that I am.
Back in 1994 Professor Steve Jackson had a problem that he hoped Worldwide Cancer Research might be able to solve — his current funding wouldn’t stretch to allow him to pursue an intriguing new avenue to his research.
He had heard that Worldwide Cancer Research funded bright, pioneering ideas that could lay the foundations for new cancer cures in the future, and this focus on discover research sounded like the perfect fit for his work.
After several rigorous rounds of review by some of the world's leading cancer experts, a decision was made. Professor Jackson's idea would be funded.
His research aimed to understand how certain proteins in our cells fix DNA damage, a process (called DNA repair) that is essential to keep our cells healthy. As his idea began to grow, Worldwide Cancer Research awarded funds for a further three project and finally, in 1997, Professor Jackson had his Eureka moment.
That DNA repair deficiencies represented an Achilles' heel for certain cancers that could potentially be exploited.
But even with a potential new cancer treatment, no pharmaceutical companies were showing any interest. This left Professor Jackson with no other option but to set up a start-up company of his own, called KuDOS. KuDOS would go on to be the first stepping stone towards a promising new drug based on his research.
After several years of development, testing and late nights in the lab, Professor Jackson and his team landed on a drug called olaparib. Unfortunately KuDOS had neither the money nor the resources to run the type of large, complex clinical trial that would be needed to approve the drug for use in patients, so Professor Jackson made the decision to sell it, and KuDOS, to the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, to guarantee a future for olaparib.
The decision paid off as, eight years later, olaparib was finally approved in both the EU and US to treat patients with certain types of advanced ovarian cancer.
And the success of the drug doesn't stop there, as new opportunities continue to emerge. Olaparib is also being tested in patients with certain types of pancreatic, prostate and breast cancer, with promising results. In the US, olaparib has already also been approved for the treatment of these cancers, while a decision of approval is pending in the UK.
Thanks to these decisions, oncologists around the globe have suggested patients try the clinical trial. Olaparib is changing people's lives by helping those with cancer live longer and for some, they have received the life-changing news that they are now cancer free.
We could not have funded Professor Jackson's original research without the support of Curestarters like you. Together we can save lives by discovering the next cure for cancer. Will you join us today?
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