New Developments In Cancer Research

We have in process the development of two powerful weapons in the fight against cancer. The first is a single drug to treat cancer. The second is a noninvasive way to detect cancer just before it occurs. We will soon be able to determine which if any of the body’s tissues are at risk of cancer so that it can be aggressively monitored and the disease can be stopped early.

It ’s been more than three decades since Americans declared, “war on cancer.” Progress has been made, but it has been incremental at best. Many patients still do not survive cancer, and those who do survive can attest to the physical and emotional hardships that are side effects of modern cancer treatments. On top of this, the current trend in cancer research is to develop treatments that change cancer from a terminal illness to a chronic illness. This treatment strategy would end the war on cancer in an uneasy truce rather than a total victory.

We reject this approach in favor of a strategy that makes cancer a curable disease rather than a chronic disease. The ability to do this is within the grasp of modern technology. All the puzzle pieces are on the table awaiting assembly. It takes only one original mind to assemble the pieces, and we have that original mind at SquiCor.

Cancer is already a huge problem, but its imminent threat to our aging population cannot be overstated. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States where it is responsible for 22.8% of all deaths. The lifetime risk of developing cancer is 33% for women and 50% for men. The five year cancer survival rate was 50% in 1974-1976 and 64% in 1995-2000. Surprisingly, despite the “war on cancer,” the cancer death rate in the United States has not changed significantly from 1950 to 2002. This is partly due to the fact that our population is aging. The risk of cancer increases with increasing age. From age 40 to 59, the probability of developing invasive cancer is 1 in 12 for men and 1 in 11 for women. From age 60 to 79, the probability is 1 in 2 for men and 1 in 3 for women. The overburdened healthcare system in the United States will be further challenged by lengthy, expensive cancer treatments as the population continues to age.

The connection between cancer and aging is more than just a statistical inconvenience. It offers insight into the cause of cancer and suggests a strategy for defeating it. A growing body of research suggests that aging cells within the body are responsible for causing cancer and spreading it. Additionally, cells can age prematurely when exposed to cancer causing agents such as cigarette smoke.

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We have developed a class of molecules that home in on “aged” cells. These molecules can be used as tracers in noninvasive diagnostic tests which include nuclear scintigraphic imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography. In simple terms, our molecules stick to prematurely old cells and emit a signal that identifies tissue in the body that is at risk of imminently developing cancer. They would also identify any cancer that may have already developed. The molecules can be modified to destroy prematurely old cells like smart bombs which pose no risk to normal tissue. This would decrease the probability of at-risk patients going on to develop cancer. Considering the potential of these molecules to prevent cancer or stop it early, and considering the overall lifetime cancer risk of approximately 1 in 2, our customers will ultimately include everyone as these molecules come into use in routine cancer screening and prevention.

Additionally, we have developed another class of molecules that stick specifically to cancer cells. These can not only be used to non-invasively detect cancer, they can also be used to destroy cancer cells without harming normal tissue and thereby prevent the unpleasant side effects so frequently associated with current cancer treatments. Our customers for this class of molecules will be the thousands of patients suspected of having cancer that require a noninvasive diagnosis and the thousands of sick and dying who otherwise have to endure chronic treatments with regular administration of radiation or chemotherapy. In the United States alone, about 1.3 million people are estimated to have had cancer in 2005.

With so many unknowns in biotechnology, the opportunity for growth is staggering and as quoted by high profile analysts, politicians, and CEOs, biotechnology is the future of health sciences. In a New York Times interview Bill Gates was quoted as saying, “I expect to see breathtaking advances in medicine over the next two decades, and biotechnology researchers and companies will be at the center of that progress."

We recognize our competition, and the challenge of extremely high costs of research and development coupled with very little revenue in the first years.

However, in a field where the value of the company is driven from intellectual property, we have a competitive advantage, and that advantage rests squarely on the intelligence and originality of our scientific team.

One of our organization’s principal advantages in the field of biomedical research is our ability to integrate the clinical perspective of physicians and patients with the expertise of basic scientists. Drawing upon our clinical experience, we understand the needs of physicians and cancer patients. Additionally, our expertise in noninvasive imaging enables us to design drugs that distribute favorably within the body. Many cancer drugs fail not because of their effect on cancer but because of their effect on the normal tissues of the body. We are able to non-invasively test the distribution of drugs within the body and modify them to optimize this distribution.