Lilly and SCRI announce cancer drug research alliance

Lilly has announced a new partnership with the Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) to develop LY3023414, a PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor with significant potential in the field of cancer treatment.

The strategic partnership will see SCRI will collaborate with Lilly to provide clinical development expertise and programme design, as well as medical oversight and trial management.

Patient enrolment for an initial phase II clinical trial is now underway, with the objectives of the collaboration including more flexible and efficient programme design and implementation, as well as more rapid enrolment to clinical trials by accessing SCRI's large patient network.

SCRI is the research arm of HCA Hospitals' global cancer enterprise Sarah Cannon. It has led more than 170 first-in-man clinical trials since its inception in 1993 and oversees a network of more than 1,000 physicians across the US and UK.

Dr Christopher Slapak, vice-president for early-phase clinical research at Lilly, said: "This strategic partnership is an exciting step to foster further collaboration with SCRI in advancing the field of cancer research."

This comes after the firm announced a new oncology research alliance with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute earlier this week.