Pipeline
CD19 and DLBCL
CD19 is a B cell marker and is expressed on the surface of B cell malignancies such as Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). DLBCL is a subtype of Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (NHLs). DLBCL is expected to impact approximately 26,000 patients in the US in 2018. Even though significant improvements in therapies have occurred in the past years, about 45% of patients with DLBCL die of either their disease or of non-cancerous causes (1).
BCMA and Multiple Myeloma
Survival of plasma cells is regulated by B cell maturation antigen (BCMA). Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell disorder that remains an incurable disease, despite recent therapeutic advances. Multiple myeloma is expected to impact approximately 31,000 patients in the US in 2018 (2).
HER2
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) has been implicated in several aggressive cancers such as in about 62% of glioblastoma multiforme patients (3,4), a typically incurable brain tumor, and in about 20% of breast cancer patients (5,6). It is also expressed in several other cancers. Glioblastoma multiforme is expected to impact approximately 16,000 patients (7), and HER2 positive breast cancer is expected to impact approximately 54,000 patients (8), in the US in 2018.
ROR1
Receptor tyrosine kinase like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) expression has been shown in a number of cancerous tissues, including in about 53% of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (9-11), 33% of breast (12), 94% of colorectal (13), 15% of pancreatic (11), and 61% of ovarian (11,12,14,16) cancers. High expression of ROR1 has been demonstrated to decrease overall survival (9,12-14). Targeting ROR1 presents a large market opportunity.
(1) Cancer. 2017 Sep 1;123(17):3326-3334
(2) https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/about/key-statistics.html
(3) J Natl Cancer Inst. 2015 Dec 6;108(5)
(4) J Neurooncol. 2007 Dec;85(3):281-7
(5) http://www.lbbc.org/sites/default/files/HER2%20Final%202016.pdf
(6) Oncologist. 2009 Apr;14(4):320-68
(7) Neuro Oncol. 2015 Oct;17 Suppl 4:iv1-iv62
(8) https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures/breast-cancer-facts-and-figures-2017-2018.pdf
(9) Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 10;6:36447
(10) PLoS One. 2015 May 15;10(5):e0127092
(11) Clin Cancer Res. 2017 Jun 15;23(12):3061-3071
(12) Virchows Arch. 2016 May;468(5):589-95
(13) Oncotarget. 2017 May 16;8(20):32864-32872
(14) Sci Rep. 2014 Jul 24;4:5811
(15) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Dec 2;111(48):17266-71
(16) Transl Oncol. 2017 Jun;10(3):346-356