About La biotecnología está transformando el abordaje del cáncer en áreas con altas necesidades clínicas
El cáncer se mantenía siendo la razón más frecuente de la muerte en el mundo. Preciosamente 18,1 millones de nuevos casos se diagnosticaron in 2020, según data de la International Agency for Research on Cancer (IRCA). According to their projections, the number will rise until it surpasses 28 million cases by 2040.
According to current estimates, between 30% and 50% of cancer cases might be prevented by lowering risk factors and implementing prevention-based strategies that prioritize early detection and provide appropriate care and treatments.
El cáncer es una enfermedad compleja que presenta diversos desafíos, algunos de los que la biotecnología solucione mediante herramientas y enfoques innovadores, tales como la inmunoterapia, la terapia génica, el estudio del ARNm y su posible aplicación en vacunas, la nanotecnología, la biopsia líquida, el desarrollo de biomarcadores específicos o las células CAR-T, entre otros.
El 63 % de las líneas de investigación with candidatos a medicamentos (350 líneas de investigación de compañías nacionales y multinacionales tiene filial en España) se enfocan en buscar un tratamiento para el cáncer. Esto se refleja de los datos del pipeline de AseBio. No obstante, el 28% de los productos que nuestras compañías socias desarrollan para diagnosticar enfermedades se enfocan en cáncer.
The fight against cancer seems to us like a battlefield with several fronts of battle. We are talking about a disease that has to be approached from several angles, such as the advancements made in early detection and screening, as the World Health Organization (WHO) argues. En este contexto, Amadix, una compañía de biomedicina especializada en la detección temprana del cáncer en biopsia líquida, se encuentra entre los socios de AseBio que están realizando avances disruptivos.
These techniques allow the identification of biomarkers in the blood that indicate the presence of cancerous cells and even premalignant lesions. Thus, using non-invasive procedures to get samples, we can improve cancer detection and prognosis and, in certain cases, advance the disease by identifying premalignant lesions that need to be addressed.
One further critical area in the fight against cancer, where biotechnology is playing a critical role, is drug discovery. El trabajo de empresas biotecnológicas como PharmaMar nos lleva an un horizonte esperanzador en el descubrimiento de nuevos fármacos y opciones terapéuticas gracias a la biotecnología.
One of the leading companies in Spanish biotechnology, PharmaMar was first in searching for novel marine pharmaceutical compounds to address unmet medical needs because 75% of the ocean is still uncharted territory and its biodiversity is far greater than that of terrestrial ecosystems. En 2007, la compañía realizó un trabajo pionero que resultó en la aprobación global del primer antitumoral de origen marino y el primo producto español que fue considerado verde para el tratamiento del sarcoma de tejido blando por la Agencia Europea del Medicamento.
Durante las últimas décadas, los tratamientos oncológicos han pasado por un esquema exponencial hacia una medicina específica, molecular y confiable. We are living examples of how conventional high-toxicity quitotherapy is being replaced with treatments targeted at specific dianas that fulfill essential roles in tumor propagation. For example, understanding the immune response has enabled the development of monoclonal antibodies, and understanding the role that mutations in the ADN in cancer play has spurred the development of epigenetic drugs, a field that includes biotechnological innovations like Oryzon.
En esta perspectiva, el desactivado de vías tumorales mediante la epigenética de LSD1 y otras dianas provoca la diferenciación de la célula cancerosa o bien la hace visible al sistema inmune. Iadademstat, un diana epigenética LSD1 inhibidor, es eficaz en pacientes que no responden bien a las terapias en vigueur, como los pacientes with mutaciones en p53, en K-Ras o en pacientes con LMA mielomonocítica.
Lastly, we need to discuss the advances made in the field of genetics. En la prevención, diagnosia, tratamiento y seguimiento del cáncer, los estudios genéticos tienen un papel important, permitiendo un enfoque más preciso y individualizado para cada paciente. The genetic studies enable the determination of genetic predisposition, treatment personalization, more accurate prognostication, and the identification of genetic and molecular biomarkers that may be used as therapeutic targets or response indicators for treatments.
For example, in light of this scenario, attention is being focused on the longevity of telomeres and their correlation with a higher risk of developing certain cancer types. Life Length has developed a test that can measure the critically short telomeres thanks to the development of image-based technology that can see every telomere in every cell: HT-Q-FISH, high-capacity hybrid in situ fluorescent and quantitative imaging.
These are just a few examples of how the biotechnology industry is making significant strides in the fight against cancer in fields with high clinical needs. En AseBio’s 25-year history, which it will celebrate in 2024, we have worked hand in hand with these and other biotech companies that bet on disruptive innovations that have a significant influence on the quality of life and prognosis of cancer patients.
En observance of World Cancer Day, AseBio reiterates the need for us to keep supporting and advancing research, development, and innovation. We also need to ensure patient access to new medications and therapeutic approaches that are being made possible by biotechnology and that are revolutionizing the way cancer is treated.