Cancer Genomics Revolutionizing Treatment and Reshaping Markets through Targeted Therapies

This Report Reveals What You Need to Know about Critical Issues in Cancer Genomics:

An overview of leading pharmacological strategies.

An outlook for drugs under investigation that target key pathways.

A summary and review of drugs in late-stage development.

Vital business statistics of 22 key players.

12 expert commentaries.

Cancer Genomics: Revolutionizing Treatment and Reshaping Markets through Targeted Therapies provides a realistic assessment of what genomics technology will bring to the cancer treatment field within the next decade. Oncology has been impacted more strongly by genomics and related technologies than any other indication area. Cancer arises from genetic changes in cells and hence, the availability of tools to better understand exactly how this occurs is revolutionizing the field. 

Rational cancer drug design, or targeted therapy development, has become the major focus in this field. Drugs like Genentech/Roche's Herceptin, and Novartis' Gleevec, illustrate how this new paradigm can be successful. However, as in many other areas, target validation is the rate-limiting step in cancer drug discovery and development. Another major issue is the development of accompanying markers and assays, both to validate the drug's mechanism of action and to identify subgroups of patients whose cancers have the biochemical attributes necessary for a response. It has proven extremely difficult to find these, and to develop accurate tests. This report evaluates current efforts to overcome these hurdles, and addresses the following key focus areas: 

Efforts to single out targets related to the signal transduction network within cells that are instrumental to growth, proliferation, cell death, and angiogenesis. Genomics is also being applied to identify surface tumor antigens that may function as targets for the development of tumor vaccines and mAb-based products.

The use of genomics to further elucidate many established pathways in tumorgenesis and progression, and to identify and describe many new avenues and specific targets.

The race to develop cancer agents based on antagonizing growth factor receptors. Approximately 20 drugs exploiting this mechanism are in clinical trials.

This report is a useful summary to marketing and licensing departments that need to quickly assess the latest developments in cancer genomics. It will also enable R&D and commercial departments to assess competitive developments, and help guide possible collaborations with specialist companies to complement in-house activities. 

Thought Leaders Interviewed for This Report:

Lars Baumbusch, The Norwegian Radium Hospital; Marcia S. Brose, University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center; Sean Buchanan, Structural GenomiX Inc.; Barry A. Bunin, Sertanty; C. Cantor, SEQUENOM; Kenneth C. Carter, Avalon Pharmaceuticals; Geoffrey Duyk, Exelixis; Riccardo Fodde, Leiden University Medical Center; Alain Jacquemin-Sablon, Laboratoire de Pharmacologie des Agents Anticancereux Institut Bergonié; Annalisa Lorenzato, University of Torino School of Medicine, Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment; Thorunn Rafnar, Iceland Genomics Corporation; Gary Schweikhardt, Epigenomics AG; Liam Seery, EiRx Pharma; Karol Sikora, Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital; Lilian Vakalopoulou, metaGen

Publication date/length: August 2003, approximately 148 pages.

Publisher: Cambridge Healthtech Institute 

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