Abstract
A collection of recently published news items.
North Chicago, IL–based AbbVie acquired Stemcentrx in a deal that could total nearly $10 billion. AbbVie aims to cash in on the five drugs that the South San Francisco, CA–based company currently has in clinical trials, including its antibody–drug conjugate Rova-T for the treatment of small-cell lung cancer.
Napster founder and former Facebook president Sean Parker announced a $250 million grant to launch the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, which includes more than 30 industry partners, 40 laboratories, and 300 researchers from six leading cancer centers—Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY); Stanford Medicine (CA); the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The collaboration aims to “broadly disseminate discoveries” and “more rapidly deliver treatments to patients.”
For nonhematologic cancers, such as breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers, the global market for therapies will nearly double from $72.9 billion in 2014 to $140.8 billion in 2021, at a compound annual growth rate of 9.9%, according to a report from business intelligence provider GBI Research.
The American Society of Hematology issued a list of six priorities to be included in the National Cancer Moonshot. The priorities include improving early cancer detection and prevention; improving access to clinical trials of novel targeted therapies; focusing on cancer immunotherapy; enhancing data sharing and education; attacking pediatric cancers; and accelerating the approval of effective therapies.
The UK's Royal College of Physicians issued a report encouraging smokers of traditional cigarettes to switch to electronic cigarettes, saying that the nicotine-delivery devices are less likely to cause harm and could aid in smoking cessation.
Stand Up To Cancer announced a new research program called Catalyst that will use funding and materials from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical devices industries to speed research on cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.
For more news on cancer research, visit Cancer Discovery online at http://cancerdiscovery.aacrjournals.org/content/early/by/section.