Cancer

Cancer is a leading cause of death globally and the second leading cause of death in the developed world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 11 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year, and according to the National Cancer Institute, in 2010, there were 1.5 million new cases in the United States alone.

Because of the persistent prevalence and limitations of many current therapies, much effort has been expended to develop more effective and less toxic treatments. Within the past 10-15 years, there has been a concerted effort to develop therapies that target specific pathways and processes involved in tumor development. Many of these novel targeted therapies, whether used alone or in combination with standard chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery, have been proven to slow disease progression and increase survival. As a result, several targeted therapies have been approved for patient use and dozens more are in development. The availability and use of targeted therapies is destined to increase as robust predictive markers are developed that more efficiently identify patients who will derive the greatest benefit from these novel agents. Thus, the combination of targeted therapies and predictive markets will lead the way into a new era of personalized medicine.

Because we believe that this represents the future of cancer therapy, ThromboGenics is focused on targeted cancer therapeutics, as exemplified by the clinical development of TB-403, a monoclonal antibody targeting placental growth factor (PlGF) for oncology applications. In addition, we have a robust pipeline containing agents that interfere with angiogenesis, apoptosis, and other tumor processes.