The first crowd-funded trial will investigate a new drug treatment for an aggressive type of cancer called neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). [Link]
The drug, AdVince, was financed by 2000 people from 40 countries via an online campaign called iCancer. The drug is named after an oil tycoon, called Vince, who provided three-quarters of the total cost of the trial in exchange for being allowed to participate in the Phase I study. The drug is a ‘genetically modified oncolytic adenovirus’, in other words a modified flu virus that specifically ‘eats’ neuroendocrine cancer cells. Crowd-funding is an exciting option that could potentially raise much needed funds to enable more new therapies to reach the market faster. However, it may present some ethical challenges for the future. We must not ever compromise quality for speed. High quality medical research must remain equitable and should not discriminate on the basis of wealth.
