Abbott's Attack on Cancer

At Abbott, we are committed to the discovery and development of innovative cancer treatments that enable patients to live longer and healthier lives. Our oncology research is focused on developing more targeted, less toxic therapies than are currently available to improve survival and quality of life for patients living with cancer.

Promising preclinical data shows that several compounds in our oncology pipeline address multiple phases of cancer progression including new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis), uncontrollable growth (proliferation), travel throughout the body (metastasis) and programmed cell death (apoptosis).

Bcl-2 Family Protein Inhibitors

Researchers have been interested in the pro-survival members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins since their role in preventing apoptosis was established more than a decade ago. Abbott and Genentech are working together to develop and commercialize a Bcl-2 family protein antagonist, which restores apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells.

Bcl-2 proteins play a central role in regulating apoptosis, as well as tumor formation, tumor growth and resistance to treatment. Our pioneering work in structural biology showed how Bcl-2-like proteins interact with one another, thereby setting the stage for our researchers to develop novel compounds that cause cancer cells to self-destruct.

PARP Inhibitors

DNA damaging agents remain some of the most successful treatments for cancer. The enzyme Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (abbreviated PARP) can help repair DNA damage caused by these agents used to treat cancer and render them ineffective. As PARP activity is often increased in cancer cells, it provides these cells with a survival mechanism.

Abbott scientists are developing an oral PARP-inhibitor to prevent DNA repair in cancer cells with the objective of increasing the effectiveness of common cancer therapies such as radiation and alkylating agents.

VEGFR-Based Kinase Inhibitors

Many oncology researchers are currently developing agents that target kinases, a class of enzymes that are often overly activated in cancer patients. Inhibition of the appropriate kinases can suppress tumor growth by cutting off its blood supply.

Abbott and Genentech are working together to develop and commercialize a VEGFR-based multitargeted kinase inhibitor that suppresses tumor growth by preventing the growth of new blood vessels that supply the tumor with oxygen and nutrients, and by inhibiting key angiogenic signaling pathways.

Other Compounds

In addition to Bcl-2 family protein inhibitors, PARP inhibitors and VEGFR-based kinase inhibitors, other compounds moving through Abbott’s development pipeline include an oral, once-daily antimitotic (a class of drugs that inhibit cell division) in ongoing studies for non-small cell lung cancer, and a biologic compound that blocks angiogenesis of cancer cells.

Diagnostics

In addition to delivering new therapies, our pharmaceutical researchers are working with molecular diagnostics researchers to integrate diagnostics into cancer therapeutics to potentially identify who may or may not benefit from a potential medical treatment.

Among our products used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer are the PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer, UroVysion for monitoring bladder cancer, and PathVysion HER-2 DNA Probe Kit, a test used to identify women with breast cancer who could benefit from Herceptin® therapy.