To date, the cancer drug olaparib has been used to treat 140,000 patients around the world with certain ovarian, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. It's a truly lifesaving cancer treatment, one that exists thanks to the kindness and generosity of supporters like you. This is the incredible story of that journey.
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.
In 1994 Professor Steve Jackson, from Cambridge University, had a problem he hoped we could solve. His current research funding wouldn’t allow him to pursue an intriguing new idea.
Professor Jackson had heard Worldwide Cancer Research was looking for bright ideas that could lay the foundations for new cures. He needed a funder and our focus on discovery research made us the perfect fit.
Professor Jackson started studying how certain proteins in our cells fix DNA damage. He knew DNA is fragile and can break easily, and that the repair process (DNA repair) is essential to keep our cells healthy.
As the idea began to grow, your support allowed us to support an additional three projects and 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 and, after several years of development, testing, and late nights in the lab, he and his team landed on a drug called olaparib.
KuDOS did not have the money or 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 decided to sell it, and KuDOS, to the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca - to guarantee a future for olaparib.
The decision paid off, 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, whilst 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.
Our Curestarter Fiona is one such person. Having worked in the NHS for 40 years, she knew all too well how many patients with ovarian cancer had previously been told the unthinkable - that there were no treatment options left. So when she was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer, she didn't think she would have any future.
But olaparib gave her hope, and she has since celebrated her 60th birthday and her 30th wedding anniversary. Olaparib and the supporters who helped fund it have her more time to live her life with the people she loves.
By becoming a Curestarter, you can help us continue to support more bright ideas like Professor Jackson's - allowing us to potentially uncover new knowledge about cancer that could lead to lifesaving new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.
Donate now & become a Curestarter
Be part of a united effort to stop lives being cut short by cancer.
