Val & drug repurposing24 Jul 2025 11:20
Mark E has valuable experience across several disciplines of cancer research and his awareness of the correlation between these fields gives a distinct advantage in identifying market opportunities. This knowledge, combined with his commercial acumen, drive and personal commitment to Val makes Mark a unique CEO in biopharma. One of his focuses has been on the potential of repurposing or “teaching an old drug, new tricks”.
Aspirin, targeted at pain relief was found very effective in low doses at preventing blood clots. AZT, designed as a cancer drug became the first antiviral approved for HIV/AIDS. Even the notorious thalidomide found a new use as a treatment for leprosy and later for multiple myeloma.
In the lucrative Ambrose deal, VAL401, now being developed primarily as a treatment for pancreatic cancer was derived from the reformulation of the anti-psychotic drug risperidone into an oral capsule. Although that was initially under the tenure of Suzy D, Mark has already announced collaborations re drug repurposing as it can be a time and cost-effective strategy for cancer treatment.
Often, the initial formulation has already undergone the testing to meet regulatory approval. The Dominion alliance gives Val access to results from approx 3000 FDA approved drugs, via PDCs. Already approved for non-cancer apps, Dominion will mine the data for potential cancer applications, carrying out analysis to validate the most promising candidates for repurposing with costs being shared for any resulting patents.
It may be the original drug needs minor mods, an adjustment in dosage or work alongside another drug or treatment for a synergetic effect. In the Altus evaluation, Val is investigating to see if anti-inflammatory drugs can be repurposed into oncology apps. This testing on a range of Inaphaea PDCs, also involves the use of CLX to look for combos that exhibit synergy. “As well as killing cancer cells, CLX releases antigens that stimulate the immune system, potentially creating a synergy with immuno-oncology therapeutic approaches.”
35% of 'transformative' drugs approved by the FDA are repurposed. Using AI, it is now possible to identify repurposing candidates by finding genes involved in a specific disease and checking if they interact, in the cell, with other genes which are targets of known drugs. Computational repurposing is the screening of approved drugs for use against new indications using comp modelling & simulation. In the Ignota collaboration, the primary focus is on toxicity & drug safety issues. This involves the use of AI SAFEPATH to test drugs which have potentially failed at clinical safety stage to see if they may be suitable for repurposing.
Val has changed- expanding into developing fields of oncology, yet every action taken has a cost/benefit analysis and timescale consideration. If concluded that a project cannot be monetised early, it is either shelved or suspended. Promising or not, commercial decisions ov
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