Boehringer Ingelheim and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center announced a collaboration focused on developing innovative
medicines for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The new
collaboration combines MD Anderson’s unique understanding of potential
drivers of PDAC with Boehringer Ingelheim’s experience in drug discovery
and development.
Pancreatic cancer accounts for four percent of
cancer deaths worldwide (330,000 people) and is the seventh most common
cause of death from cancer. Pancreatic cancer is anticipated to become
the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States
before 2030. Newly diagnosed patients have a median survival of less
than one year, and a 5-year survival rate of only 3 to 5 percent. PDAC
is one of the most lethal of cancers due to its late detection and
resistance to available standard-of-care therapy. Effective medicines
directed against PDAC are therefore urgently needed.
The collaboration will focus on identifying and developing therapeutic
concepts in novel target areas as well as identification of biomarkers
that can accurately identify patients who would respond to potential new
therapies.
