The DDO manages and executes drug development programmes and is responsible for designing, conducting and monitoring high quality, ethical, early phase clinical trials through its collaborations with world-class clinical centres.

By working closely with leading UK scientists and clinicians, the DDO offers academic organisations and companies a mechanism for developing novel anti-cancer agents. Since its inception in 1982, the DDO has advanced over 100 new agents into first-in-human studies, of which four have been launched onto the market.

Aims of the DDO

• To drive the early development of innovative new cancer medicines through partnership with world class clinical centres, working to the highest scientific and quality standards.
• To double drug development activity by 2010, principally through the New Agent Committee (NAC) and Clinical Development Partnerships (CDP) initiative.

Capabilities
The DDO has multi-disciplinary capabilities in oncology therapeutics Research and Development.

The DDO has wide experience of developing diverse ranges of agents with distinct mechanisms of action. It has two GMP facilities for the production of Investigational Medicinal Products (IMP): the Formulation Unit (for small molecules) and the Biotherapeutics Development Unit (biologicals).

Production of GMP-grade materials and non-clinical safety studies can be contracted out through the DDO's network of contract organisations.

To see the DDO's track record of developing oncology therapeutics, see Track Record.