Targeted Therapeutics Services

Targeted therapies block cancer from growing and spreading by interfering with specific genes or proteins necessary for tumor growth. This approach differs from conventional treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Most standard chemotherapy drugs work by killing cells that grow and divide quickly. Cancer cells divide quickly, which is why these drugs often work. But chemotherapy drugs can also affect other cells in the body that divide quickly, which can sometimes lead to serious side effects.

Scientists are increasingly identifying alterations in cancer cells that make them different from normal cells. For instance, certain mutations in key genes might allow the cell to stop working the way it should, or enable it to grow and divide quickly. This increased understanding has led to the development of drugs that “target” these differences, and treatment with these drugs is called targeted therapy.

Targeted therapeutics can:

• Block or turn off chemical signals that tell the cancer cell to grow and divide
• Change proteins within the cancer cells so the cells die
• Stop making new blood vessels to feed the cancer cells
• Trigger the immune system to kill the cancer cells
• Carry toxins to the cancer cells to kill them, sparing normal cells

We are focused on developing innovative therapeutics that potently and selectively inhibit abnormal cell signaling pathways that drive cancer. In addition, we are working to pair our drug candidates with genetic data and other diagnostic information to identify patients who are most likely to benefit.

Through this approach, we believe we can deliver innovative medicines that have increased clinical benefit in selected patient populations and potentially fewer side effects, allowing for higher dosing and better anti-cancer activity.