Cancer researchers £4.16m grant

Researchers at the University of Bath have been given a £4.16m grant to develop new drugs to tackle illnesses including cancer and diabetes.

The cash, awarded to the university's Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, will support up to 20 staff for the next three years.

It is the largest single grant received by the department.

The award was made by Sterix, a firm which develops new approaches to treating serious illnesses.

Sterix was formed in 1998 by Professor Potter and Professor Mike Reed, of the School of Medicine at Imperial College London.

The company, which works in the areas of cancer, women's health, diabetes and hormone-related diseases, holds the intellectual property rights to a large range of potential drugs.

The firm was bought last month by global pharmaceutical company Ipsen in a move which will help the smaller firm access clinical trials for its potential drugs.

Its design and discovery research work is carried out in special laboratories at the University of Bath, using state-of-the-art technology.

Prof Potter said the grant was a vote of confidence for the university.

"Working closely with Ipsen will allow us to continue developing innovative drug discovery science over the longer term with the support of a major pharmaceutical company with serious drug development expertise."