WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S Solbec Chemicals has entered into a $1 million research and development contract with Murdoch’s Division of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences to verify the effect of the company’s new anti-cancer drug BEC.

Solbec Managing Director, and Murdoch Chemistry graduate, Mr Stephen Carter, said cancers targeted by the drug included mesothelioma, melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

“Pre-clinical studies have shown strong anti-cancer activity in animals, with virtually no toxicity to normal cells,” he said.

“BEC has none of the side effects seen in current chemotherapy and a recent study has shown exciting results using BEC on aggressive malignant mesothelioma in mice.”

He said the trials showed that tumour growth rates and size were reduced dramatically after treatment with BEC and survival rates increased from 17 per cent for non-treated mice to 80 per cent for treated mice.

He said the research and development carried out at Murdoch would provide Solbec with a wealth of data that would be directly transferable to the human regulatory register.

The research will be carried out at Murdoch under the direction of Professors John Yovich and Jim Reynoldson.

The Murdoch deal follows Solbec’s earlier decision to commit $350,000 to Curtin University’s Division of Pharmacy to complete the formulation and development of BEC.

Solbec is also working with clinicians in the eastern states and hopes to be conducting human clinical trials in mesothelioma patients by the end of the year.