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.

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 more treatable disease rather than a chronic disease. The ability to do this is within the grasp of modern technology.

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 may be at risk of developing cancer. They may also identify cancer that have already developed. Our hope is to modify these molecules in order to destroy prematurely old cells without posing risk to normal tissue. This would decrease the probability of at-risk patients going on to develop cancer.

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 as a therapeutic agent.

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."

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.