Inavolisib

SAN FRANCISCO and PORTLAND, Ore. and BOSTON, Nov. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Drug Hunter, the leading knowledge platform for drug discovery R&D teams, today announced the appointment of Dr. Lori Friedman, Ph.D., to its scientific advisory board (SAB). Dr. Friedman joins Drs. Wendy Young, Ph.D.; Dean Brown, Ph.D.; Nicholas Meanwell, Ph.D.; Daniel Erlanson, Ph.D.; and Ken Brameld, Ph.D. in aiding the management team to empower scientists and R&D leaders with the insights they need to discover tomorrow's medicines. Her deep expertise in biology and drug discovery complements the SAB's world-class knowledge as Drug Hunter grows its offerings across the spectrum of drug discovery disciplines. Continue Reading "We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Friedman to the Drug Hunter Scientific Advisory Board," said Dennis Hu, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Drug Hunter. "Her extraordinary experience in biology, target selection, and clinical validation will be key as we continue to expand Drug Hunter's scope in drug discovery biology." The addition of Dr. Friedman to the SAB supports the growth of Drug Hunter's scope in discovery biology. Post this Dr. Friedman is currently CSO of ORIC and has over 20 years of experience in cancer research, including expertise in cancer target discovery and validation, signal transduction, cancer genetics, drug discovery, pharmacology and biomarkers. During her tenure as the head of translational oncology for Genentech Research and Early Development (gRED), her team advanced more than 20 programs into clinical development including inavolisib and giredestrant for breast cancer. She is an inventor on 28 issued patents and author on over 100 peer-reviewed publications. She is currently chair of the Chemistry in Cancer Research working group of AACR, serves on the board of directors of Project Scientist, a non-profit organization serving girls in STEM, and serves on the board of directors of NextRNA Therapeutics. "I'm truly excited to join the Drug Hunter scientific advisory board and contribute to a mission that resonates deeply with my own values: empowering the world's scientists to make tomorrow's medicines," said Dr. Friedman. "It's an honor to collaborate with such a thoughtful, talented group of industry leaders on a mission to share and amplify the insights that matter most to drug developers who are aiming to turn molecules into life-changing medicines." The addition of Dr. Friedman to the SAB supports Drug Hunter's continued growth in the fields of biology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, and drug discovery strategy. Drug Hunter is already relied upon by researchers at over 200 leading organizations investing in pharmaceutical R&D, including Eli Lilly, Biogen, Merck KGaA, Isomorphic Labs, Nimbus Therapeutics, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Drug Hunter offers unparalleled, searchable insights from scientific literature, patents, and early disclosures distilled by an expert team of industry scientists. About Drug Hunter Drug Hunter is the essential knowledge platform for R&D organizations turning molecules into medicines. Drug Hunter's experts keep scientists current by connecting the dots, distilling industry lessons from thousands of sources into a one-of-a-kind searchable platform for drug discovery knowledge to make better decisions and solve critical discovery challenges. Founded and operated by a team of industry scientists, over 200 leading biotech and pharma R&D organizations rely on Drug Hunter to stay ahead of the curve. Website: SOURCE Drug Hunter 21% more press release views with Request a Demo

The Institute of Cancer Research has ranked among the top UK universities for research partnerships and commercialisation. We were one of only two UK higher education institutions to gain the highest grades in all measures of both research partnerships and commercialisation in the latest Knowledge Exchange Framework. We also gained the top grade for public and community engagement. The Knowledge Exchange Framework – also known by its acronym, ‘the KEF’ – is a yearly assessment of how well UK universities work with external partners, local communities and the public. It’s run by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which funds research at UK universities on behalf of the Government. Research partnership This year the ICR performed very well in both the two measures of research partnership. These metrics look at the proportion of universities’ academic papers that are published with non-academic co-authors, and at the proportion of their research funding that supports collaborative research. We gained the top possible grade in these metrics due to our strong partnerships with industry and other academic institutions. Only five other higher education institutions gained the same grade. Intellectual property and commercialisation We also achieved the top grade in all three measures in the ‘intellectual property and commercialisation category’, alongside six other higher education institutions. These measure the proportion of universities’ income from licensing intellectual property to partners, and the turnover of, and investment in, their mature spinout companies. Only the ICR and the University of Cambridge gained the top grade in all measures in both categories. Other highlights of our KEF assessment included gaining the highest possible grade for public and community engagement, and an improvement in a score based on our income from Innovate UK. Innovate UK is part of UKRI and funds collaborative research between academic researchers and companies. Industry partnerships The ICR works in collaboration with around 100 industry partners at any one time, across areas from early-stage discovery science to early- and late-stage clinical trials of new cancer treatments. Last year we made around 20 new industry collaboration agreements relating to joint research, as well as hundreds of other agreements with external partners – including around 250 commercial agreements, 150 clinical trial agreements and 400 non-commercial agreements. We also signed dozens of licence agreements and filed several new patents. New collaborations This year, we won a major award for our work in collaboration with industry from life-sciences sector membership organisation One Nucleus. Recent new collaborations include a partnership between our Centre for Immunotherapy of Cancer and the company QBiotics, and an Innovate UK-funded partnership between ICR childhood cancer researchers and the Bath University company Revolver Therapeutics. Meanwhile, recent outcomes to emerge from our commercial collaborations have included regulatory approvals for Roche’s inavolisib in breast cancer, and Verastem Oncology’s avutometinib-defactinib drug combination in ovarian cancer. We are also a leading research institution in collaboration with other universities – across the UK and internationally. One highlight of the past few years is our involvement in the MR-Linac consortium – a group of universities and hospitals from across Europe and the US working with the company Elekta to develop their Unity device. The Unity combines radiation treatment and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), enabling simultaneous imaging and treatment. Spinout companies ICR spinout companies include Monte Rosa Therapeutics – a leading company in the development of molecular glues, an innovative type of cancer drug. Other recent ICR spinouts include Kodiform Therapeutics and AI-focused Sentinal4D. We recently changed our spinout policy to encourage even more of our scientists to found companies. Public engagement The ICR has gained the highest grade for public engagement in all five KEF assessments so far. Our public engagement team works with our researchers to support and inspire their efforts to inform the public about their science – including through community events and visits. Our public engagement team also runs a programme of engagement events and activities, including showpiece careers evenings for local schools. We work closely with our partners at The London Cancer Hub in Sutton, south London – including the Borough of Sutton and site developers Socius – to engage the local community in our science. Dr Jon Wilkinson, Director of Business and Innovation at the ICR, said, “We’re very proud of our strong track record in partnership – partnership with universities, and partnership with companies from across the wide landscape in oncology, from smaller and mid-size biotech to major pharma companies. “It’s only by working together across different organisations and sectors that we’re able to make sure that our discoveries are translated into new, impactful treatments for cancer patients. Our collaborations also generate other major benefits to society, including stimulating economic growth.”