Immuno-oncology
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Harnessing the power of the immune system
Our immune system has natural surveillance mechanisms to assess or eliminate potential threats to our health.1,2 The system works well, but rogue cells sometimes slip past these surveillance mechanisms and become cancers.3 By providing the immune system with tools for recognising tumours, immuno-oncology therapies can enable recognition and response to the presence of cancer that our innate immune surveillance mechanisms may have missed.1,4
Immuno-oncology has been successful in the targeted treatment of cancer, but recent advances in our understanding of the immune system are informing the development of the next wave of therapies with the potential to make an even greater impact for patients across all stages of disease.
At AstraZeneca, we’re pushing the boundaries of science with a relentless focus on harnessing the immune system to reimagine cancer care and help transform outcomes for patients.
Going bold – addressing areas of high unmet need
We have a history of boldly exploring novel immuno-oncology treatment approaches. We continually challenge the status quo with a focus on delivering novel treatment options to patients with high unmet need in areas where immuno-oncology may have the greatest impact, including many cancers with particularly difficult biology. Our ambition is to bring novel immuno-oncology-based treatment approaches to new settings across gastrointestinal, genitourinary, lung and gynaecological cancers.
We pursue this ambition without fear of failure, gaining critical knowledge with each clinical trial that further advances our understanding of difficult-to-treat diseases with the potential to benefit a wider range of patients.
Moving early – committing to earlier diagnosis and treatment
We believe treating cancer earlier, where we can harness the immune system to recognise and eradicate cancer cells, has the greatest opportunity to maximise the potential for long-term remission and the possibility of cure.5-7 While metastatic disease has long been an area of focus in cancer research, we realised the potential of treating cancer in earlier stages of disease and moving immuno-oncology treatment into the neoadjuvant (before surgery) and adjuvant (after surgery) settings.
Today, we are a leader in this space, with more than two-thirds of our Phase III trials in earlier stages of cancer. Our extensive early disease programmes provide potential for new and needed treatment options across a broad range of cancers.
It is our hope that the earlier we can detect and treat cancer, the closer we are to potentially helping more patients live longer lives. That is why we’re utilising smart screening tools, exploring novel endpoints and establishing strategic partnerships to accelerate earlier immuno-oncology regimens that we believe will continue to play a critical role in revolutionising cancer care.
Innovate – exploring next-generation combination treatment strategies
Innovation is central to our clinical strategy focused on exploring immuno-oncology in novel combinations to bring its promise to more patients and transform patient outcomes.
We have a diverse portfolio of immuno-oncology molecules and potential medicines and we’re continually investigating new mechanisms, including bispecific antibodies, novel checkpoint inhibitors, T cell engagers, and cell therapies, to help drive more sustained immune responses. Our immuno-oncology assets are being assessed in combinations with a wide range of modalities, both within and outside our portfolio, including combinations with antibody drug conjugates that we believe may have the potential to replace conventional chemotherapy in immuno-oncology regimens.
In addition, we’re studying innovative immuno-oncology combinations and unique dosing strategies to change the standard of care in advanced stage disease and help deliver clinically significant and sustained responses for patients.
We are balancing our focus on our pipeline with the active management of our existing medicines; expanding indications and exploring novel treatment combinations to deliver to those patients with the greatest unmet need. Our goal is to drive long-term survivorship across multiple tumour types, stages of disease and lines of treatment, with the potential to change what it means to live with cancer.
In the spotlight
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We are driven by our passion, our people and a culture of innovation. We value courage, curiosity, collaboration and passion for learning, and we encourage disruptive thinking where failure is an opportunity to learn – the freedom to take risks without fear of failure.
References
1. Melero I, et al. Clinical development of immunostimulatory monoclonal antibodies and opportunities for combination. Clin Cancer Res. 2013;19(5):997-1008.
2. Finn O. Immuno-oncology: understanding the function and dysfunction of the immune system in cancer. Ann Oncol. 2012;23(Suppl_8):viii6-viii9.
3. Beatty, GL. Immune escape mechanisms as a guide for cancer immunotherapy. Clin Cancer Res. 2015;21(4):687–692.
4. Eggermont A, et al. Advances in immuno-oncology. Ann Oncol. 2012;23(Suppl_8 Foreword):viii5.
5. Cancer Research UK. The immune system and cancer. Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/body-systems-and-cancer/the-immune-system-and-cancer. Accessed October 2022.
6. Hawkes N. Cancer survival data emphasise importance of early diagnosis. BMJ. 2019;364:1408. Accessed October 2022.
7. American Cancer Society. Why People with Cancer Are More Likely to Get Infections. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/physical-side-effects/low-blood-counts/infections/why-people-with-cancer-are-at-risk.html. Accessed October 2022.
Veeva ID: Z4-49847
Date of preparation: October 2022
Veeva ID: Z4-48196
Date of preparation: October 2022