The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) has launched Sitka Biopharma, a spin-out which looks to commercialise bladder cancer treatment.
The new company was launched through the CDRD’s tech transfer unit CDRD Ventures, and utilises research which emerged through a collaboration between the organisation and the University of British Columbia.
Sitka’s technology offers a new treatment in an area where there are very few effective options. It combines a chemotherapeutic with a nanoparticulate drug delivery system, which has been shown to significantly improve bladder tissue uptake in preclinical studies.
CDRD is a nationwide not-for-profit drug development and commercialisation organisation. Formed in 2007, CDRD looks to convert university health research into tangible therapies.
Karimah Es Sabar, chief executive of CDRD, said: “Sitka Biopharma is a great example of the innovative technologies being developed in Canada that require development and specialized resources in terms of both infrastructure and expertise to bring about their full commercial potential and value. Without CDRD and CVI, this technology would have made very limited progress and would lack the necessary data needed for commercial success.”
