A YORK drugs research company has announced a new partnership that could lead the way to finding a cure for a range of cancers.

Heslington-based Aptamer Therapeutics, part of the Aptamer Group, is teaming up with Cancer Research UK for a new drug development programme that will explore the potential of aptamers as therapeutic agents for the treatment of leukaemia and other myeloid malignancies.

Aptamers are synthetic alternatives to antibodies that can disrupt disease pathways. The partnership intends to build on data showing that aptamers with therapeutic potential can selectively target a key gene fault involved in driving cancers.

Tony Hickson, of Cancer Research UK, said: “By bringing together the best minds in academic cancer research we can accelerate the development of potentially life-saving new treatments.”