Nexxus Scotland

Crusade Laboratories

Formed in 1999, Crusade Laboratories have made real measurable progress into the fight against cancer. The seed of the company was planted many years ago following research being carried out by Professor Moira Brown and her team at the MRC and subsequently at the University of Glasgow.

Prof Brown was looking at the possibility of using the herpes simplex virus (HSV) to destroy cancer cells, and this line of research has continued under her direction and latterly under the colours of Crusade Laboratories.

Patents were acquired during the ongoing research, and once the relevant intellectual property protections were in place the University of Glasgow spun it out.  Since then, Crusade Laboratories has been a pioneer in the fight against cancer and continues to make significant advances into the disease - marking more than three decades of excellence in research.

Having built a small, yet very successful company, primarily on the basis of one line of research, Crusade Laboratories has made this particular niche its own. 

Using a modified version of the herpes simplex virus, Crusade Laboratories has achieved no small measure of success in treating several kinds of cancer, including deadly tumours in the brain.

The common virus, HSV1, naturally affects most of the population and is well-known for causing cold sores and other unpleasant infections. In the brain, however, it rapidly multiplies and causes encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.

HSV1 has been modified to remove a single gene, ICP34.5, responsible for virus replication and virulence in HSV1. The modified virus, known as HSV1716, cannot replicate in healthy cells but is lethal to tumour cells.

Prof Brown says: "Once the virus is delivered to the tumour, it multiplies to the point where it effectively causes the cancer cell to burst, and the remnants of the HSV1716 infected cells are mopped up by the body's natural immune defences. Normal cells are left unaffected. The concept is simple, but the real challenge for us was to engineer the virus in such a way as to be useful in cancer patients without causing side effects."

While many organisations are making steady progress in cancer treatment, treatments remain some years away. However, Crusade Laboratories is tantalisingly close to a product which could revolutionise treatment of some cancers. The HSV1716 technology is currently undergoing Europe-wide Phase III clinical trials in patients with the incurable brain tumour glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and, if successful, would be the first treatment of its kind to make it into mainstream cancer therapy.

Even more remarkable is that HSV1716 was, in effect, fast-tracked to Phase III trials as all initial and subsequent indications have shown the virus to have enormous potential in many cancer patients.

The European Medicines Evaluation Agency can give new technology what is known as Orphan Drug status. The initial findings from research carried out into the safety and potential effectiveness of HSV1716 were so promising that Crusade's lead technology was granted this status.

Ultimately, it is hoped that HSV1716 could become a realistic alternative to or be used in combination with chemo- and radiotherapy in patients suffering from a range of cancers. Currently median survival rates for GBM patients are as low as 12 months from diagnosis and four months following recurrence after conventional treatment.

In trials of HSV1716 in glioblastoma patients, however, there was a noticeable increase in survival, with lifespan extending by nine years in one patient.

Despite this, says Prof Brown, talk of a miracle cure for cancer is misguided and unrealistic.  She says: "There are very few cancers that are curable - what we can do is put it into remission. Hopefully, using HSV1716 technology people with incurable cancers can live longer and enjoy a better quality of life than they would if treated with conventional therapy."

As a result of their progress, Crusade Laboratories has been approached by Cincinnati Children's Hospital to carry out a trial in young adults suffering from incurable cancer. This trial is in the process of review by the US Food and Drug Administration and is due to start in the first half of 2006.

Prof Brown adds: "The Scottish Executive Department of Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, who run the SMART and SPUR+ award schemes, have provided us with terrific support from the public sector."

"We have a great product platform and we're excited about the possibilities for cancer treatment in the future.  We have got to where we are through the total commitment and hard work of a dedicated small team of people and a prudent approach to research spending. In our industry, success should be measured in terms of achieving a licensed product to improve human health. The rewards will follow."

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