To date, the cancer drug olaparib (also called Lynparza) 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.
I don’t tend to think of myself as a lifesaver, though if I 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 an intriguing new idea, but he couldn't pursue it further with his existing research funding.
He had heard that Worldwide Cancer Research was looking for bright ideas that could uncover brand new information about cancer and lay the foundations for new cures. This focus on funding discovery research made us the perfect fit for exploring his new idea.
Following a successful application, 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. In total, your support allowed us to support an additional three projects of Professor Jackson's as his idea began to grow and, in 1997, he had a Eureka moment.
He discovered that DNA repair deficiencies represented an Achilles' heel for certain cancers that could potentially be exploited.
After setting up a start-up company of his own, called KuDOS, and several years of development, testing, and late nights in the lab, Professor Jackson and his team used this discovery to create a new drug - olaparib.
Unfortunately, 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. This is why you may also have heard of olaparib under its brand name - Lynparza.
The decision paid off - olaparib is now approved for use in treating certain breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers in the UK, with further advice for treating endometrial, pancreatic, and some lung cancers still under consideration.
In the USA, the FDA has approved olaparib for treatment of some breast, prostate, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers, and the European Medicines Agency currently authorises the sale of olaparib across the EU for the treatment of certain ovarian, breast, pancreatic, endometrial, and prostate cancers.
And the success of the drug hasn't stopped there, as new opportunities continue to emerge. Clinical trials are ongoing around the world, looking into the use of olaparib to treat more than 18 other cancer types.
The striking thing was, within not that many months of those clinical trials initiating, certain patients were responding, some in very very pronounced and astounding ways.
Olaparib is changing people's lives by helping those with cancer live longer. People like our Curestarter Fiona.
Having worked in the NHS for 40 years, Fiona 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 was devastated.
But olaparib (Lynparza) turned out to be game-changing for Fiona, and gave her hope for a future that she didn't think she would have. She has since been able to enjoy family life and holidays, and celebrate milestones like her 60th birthday and her 30th wedding anniversary with her husband.
Olaparib and the supporters who helped fund it have given Fiona, and many more people like her around the world, more time with the people they love.
Your support will help us continue to support more bright ideas like Professor Jackson's that might otherwise go unfunded, allowing us to potentially uncover new knowledge that could lead to more lifesaving new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.
Donate now & become a Curestarter
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