The latter half of the 20th and these early years of the 21st century have witnessed truly groundbreaking advances in medicine, improving the health, life expectancy and quality of life for millions.

Yet in the field of oncology - the study of tumours - Dr Christian Rohlff, chief executive of Oxford Genome Sciences (OGeS), is convinced that new treatments are lagging behind.

He explained: "We are still using chemical interventions discovered long ago and they are simply not as effective as they need to be.

"One of the characteristics of cancers is that they change genetically as the disease progresses, and they find ways to circumvent or resist anti-cancer drugs."

OGeS may be a small biotech, a David to big pharma's Goliaths, but it is punching well above its weight. Its partners are industry big hitters Amgen, Medarex and Biosite and together they are developing targeted medicines for cancer.

The heart of the OGeS engine lies in a unique database, the Oxford Genome Anatomy Project (OGAP), which holds the world's largest proprietary collection of proteins.

Among its powerful array, it contains data on 5,000 cancer membrane proteins, combined with their genomic and clinical information derived from human blood and cancer tissue studies.

The OGAP platform offers a springboard not only for treatments using the body's own immune system, but also diagnostics to tailor the medicine to the individual.

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) is a major focus of OGeS' therapeutic antibody programmes.

ADCC is a natural process by which human antibodies stick to the surface of cancer cells and activate the cell-killing properties of lymphocytes that are part of the normal immune system.

These active lymphocytes, called natural killer cells, destroy the cancer cells to which the antibodies are bound, but normal tissue is left undamaged.

There are a number of therapeutic and commercial advantages to pursuing ADCC. First, it harnesses a powerful natural immune defence mechanism that has adapted throughout evolution to destroy living cells that invade the body's normal tissues.

Also, new technologies such as Potelligent can amplify the ADCC mechanism up to a hundredfold, giving the same therapeutic effect for a fraction of the dose and at lower cost.

OGeS selects the therapeutic targets; its partners Amgen and Medarex, then produce human antibodies which are jointly tested and developed.

OGeS also works with Biosite to identify the nature of the cancers, allowing accurate prediction of which patients will respond to the therapy and which will not.

This will lead to several drugs or versions of the drug, so if version A shows no response, for example, the patient can be switched quickly to another variant.

Dr Rohlff exhibits a huge enthusiasm for the alliances he has forged, describing them as win-win.

He said: "As a young, small company, our tie-ups give us a great learning opportunity."

The antibody technique may also be effective outside the oncology sphere but for now, OGeS is concentrating on solid tumour cancers like lung, ovarian, breast and colon.

Early intervention is key in any cancer, but the company is also looking at early stage, advanced stage and relapse therapies.

Clinical trials are about three years away, drugs on the market probably five to ten. Diagnostics, on the other hand, could be on sale in two to three years, thanks to an easier and faster approval process.

Once the clinical trial milestone is reached, then alliances with big pharma companies will follow.

Dr Rohlff added: "There has been a dramatic sea-change in big pharma's attitude to biotechs. They now recognise they can't match us for innovation and speed and they are keen to forge links."

OGeS was formed in 2003 by the buyout of the proteomics division of Oxford Glycosciences. The company has undertaken two successful fundraisings and has recently begun a third round.

The Milton Park base houses 25 staff, with five others in San Francisco. Dr Rohlff held two posts at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland before joining Oxford Glycosciences as a director 2001. He led the formation of OGeS and is also a founding member of South East Health Technologies Alliance.

He said: "Right now, we're focused on the oncology arena. Our funding is very important to our future, because we have to move fast, make the breakthroughs, and bring vital treatments to patients as soon as possible."