Many of the research tools – such as cell lines and antibodies – used across cancer science originate in laboratories funded by Cancer Research UK. But what many researchers don’t see is the behind-the-scenes work that ensures the version they receive is the right one – the authentic, original material that delivers reproducible, trustworthy results. At CancerTools, we ensure these research tools are preserved, protected and made accessible to researchers worldwide by safeguarding intellectual property (IP) and championing the original inventors and/or institution. In doing so, we help maximise the impact of charity-funded innovation.
A shared mission to accelerate progress
Groundbreaking cancer research doesn’t end with discovery. For every breakthrough made at the lab bench – whether that be a new insight, tool, or treatment approach – there is a responsibility to ensure it is protected, preserved, and translated into real-world impact. When research is powered by charitable funding, that responsibility becomes even greater.
CancerTools sits within Cancer Research Horizons, the innovation and translation arm of Cancer Research UK. Together, we share a mission: to accelerate advances in cancer research and ensure discoveries reach the patients who need them most. To date, more than 6 million courses of treatment have reached people with cancer through drugs that Cancer Research Horizons has helped bring to market. That progress is made possible by Cancer Research UK’s extraordinary investment in research – over £400 million committed in 2024/25 alone to investigator-led programmes, projects, and fellowships. This funding also generates thousands of valuable research tools including antibodies, cell lines, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, and other resources that enable the next wave of scientific progress.
CancerTools exists to ensure these tools are protected, accessible, and actively used – so no researcher has to rebuild what already exists. We protect these tools through robust intellectual property and licensing practices, strong stewardship, and clear attribution to their original creators.
“Through appropriate licensing, we protect material rights and provenance, giving you confidence in the history, integrity, and reliability of our research tools – the foundations of reproducible science”
Lorna Ravenhill, Head of Licensing at CancerTools
By reducing duplication, saving time and resources, and enabling global access to high-quality, charity-funded tools, we amplify the impact of Cancer Research UK’s investment – helping both academic and commercial researchers move cancer research forward, faster.
Why intellectual property rights matter in research
Intellectual property rights (IPR) underpin how research tools are accessed, distributed and used. In practice, this means establishing clear ownership, control, and stewardship of biological materials – including their genetic modifications, defining characteristics, and methods used to create them – so they can be used with confidence across the global research community.
While some innovations are protected through formal mechanisms such as patents, many research tools are not actively patented. Instead, access to these materials is typically managed through institutional ownership and contractual agreements, most commonly material transfer agreements (MTAs). MTAs set out how a material can be accessed, used, modified, and redistributed, providing a practical framework that supports collaboration while protecting the integrity of the original research tool.
For living, self‑replicating materials such as cell lines and PDX models, this form of control is especially important. Because these tools can be propagated indefinitely and incorporated into downstream academic or commercial research, clearly defined access and use conditions help ensure consistency, traceability, and responsible use. Alongside broader IP frameworks, MTAs and ownership structures provide the foundation that allows these tools to move between laboratories without undermining scientific reliability or translational potential.
At CancerTools, this expertise sits at the heart of how we make academic research tools accessible globally – ensuring they are not only widely available, but also properly stewarded, attributable, and fit for purpose across academic and commercial research environments.
What this means for your research
For scientists who develop and deposit their models, IPR and material rights help ensure their work is protected and used responsibly. They prevent tools from being redistributed or misused without permission, while ensuring the scientists who created them receive appropriate recognition and credit. Importantly, these frameworks provide a pathway for translating discoveries into real-world impact, enabling academic innovations to be licensed and developed into diagnostics, treatments, and technologies that benefit patients.
For academic researchers accessing these tools, access is typically provided under MTAs which define responsible use within non-commercial research, while recognising the work of the scientists and funding that made them possible. For biotech and pharmaceutical teams, tools are accessed through licensing agreements with CancerTools, providing the legal clarity and certainty needed for drug development and other translational pipelines.
Together, these frameworks enable access across sectors while supporting confident investment and appropriate downstream use.
Why origins matter in research
Alongside IPR protection, the provenance (i.e., origin, history, and development) of a research tool is equally important – and CancerTools is here to safeguard it. By providing clear, documented origins for each model in our portfolio, we give academic and commercial scientists confidence in the reliability of their tools and the data they generate. When the origin is clear and well documented, you benefit from:
- Improved reproducibility, giving you data you can trust
- Greater biological relevance, reducing failed experiments and delays
- Reduced uncertainty and experimental risk, strengthening translational decisions
- Greater confidence in results, supporting clearer scientific conclusions
- Better use of research time and funding, maximising the impact of limited resources
Together, strong IP stewardship and clear origins ensure research tools remain trusted, traceable, and responsibly used – protecting the value of the original discovery while enabling scientists around the world to build on it.
Research tools with a Cancer Research UK legacy
Many widely used cancer research tools, including cell lines, antibodies, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and mouse models, originate in laboratories funded by Cancer Research UK. Over time, these tools often become embedded in day‑to‑day research workflows, and their funding and development origins may no longer be apparent to the researchers relying on them.
Through CancerTools, research tools developed through Cancer Research UK investment are made more accessible and discoverable to the global research community, with their provenance clearly documented and maintained. This enables academic researchers, biotech innovators, CROs and pharmaceutical teams to access reliable models with confidence, while supporting responsible stewardship of charity‑funded innovation and appropriate recognition of the scientists, institutions and funding that made these tools possible.
Examples of Cancer Research UK‑funded tools within our portfolio include:
- MB49 bladder cancer cell line: Developed by Leonard Franks and Ian C. Summerhayes at Cancer Research UK’s Lincoln’s Inn Fields, this syngeneic model is widely used to study the tumour microenvironment and immunotherapy responses in bladder cancer. Its robust performance in experimental systems makes it valuable for both academic researchers investigating disease mechanisms and commercial teams exploring new therapeutic strategies. Find out more about the ownership of MB49.
- PEO ovarian cancer cell lines: The PEO series are powerful models derived from a single high-grade serous ovarian cancer patient across multiple treatment stages. Developed by Simon Langdon at Cancer Research UK’s Edinburgh Centre, these models continue to help academic labs deepen their understanding of ovarian cancer biology while providing industry researchers with reliable models for preclinical drug evaluation.
- The HCT 116 BRCA2-/- clones: Developed by Carlos Caldas at Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Institute, the HCT 116 BRCA2 -/- clones have become one of the most widely used models in colorectal cancer research. Derived from the human colorectal carcinoma line HCT116, these clones provide a robust platform for generating translational meaningful results, supporting both academic discovery and confident decision-making in preclinical pipelines.
- Monoclonal anti-cMyc: targeting the c-Myc and N-Myc oncogenes, this antibody supports the study of oncogenic signalling across multiple cancer types including breast, lung and colorectal cancer. Developed by Gerard Evan from Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute, this antibody enables researchers to investigate Myc-driven tumour biology and evaluate potential therapeutic strategies.
These are just a few models that demonstrate how Cancer Research UK-funded discoveries continue to drive progress long after the original study concludes. By depositing their tools with us, inventors contribute to a global ecosystem that enables other academic researchers and industry teams to build confidently on established work and extend its impact far beyond the originating lab.
40 years of supporting cancer research
When a single, trusted source maintains the original, validated version of a research tool, it helps prevent the uncontrolled spread of altered, contaminated, or misidentified derivatives that could compromise research outcomes. CancerTools achieves this through clear provenance and responsibly managed access in line with material rights and licensing. In doing so, we ensure that valuable research tools developed through Cancer Research UK remain trusted resources for scientists around the world.
For over 40 years, researchers from leading academic institutions and cancer centres have entrusted us with their innovations, helping to build one of the most cancer-focused research tool catalogues available today. Every tool accessed through CancerTools contributes to Cancer Research UK’s mission, with revenue reinvested into future research through a global revenue share supporting both the inventing institute and Cancer Research UK.
With more than 3,500 scientific citations linked to our portfolio, the impact of these tools can be seen across laboratories worldwide. By providing access to well-characterised models backed by trusted origins and compliant frameworks, CancerTools helps academic and commercial researchers accelerate cancer research with confidence – ensuring innovation is not only protected but continues to give back.
References
- Cancer Research UK annual report and accounts 2024/25. www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/our-organisation/annual-report-and-accounts
