Cancer

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. The American Cancer Society estimated that approximately 1.4 million new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2007. Overall annual costs associated with cancer in 2006 were an estimated $206.3 billion in the United States alone. Because telomerase is detectable in more than 30 human cancer types and in the great majority of cancer samples studied, we believe that telomerase-based drugs could overcome the limitations of current cancer therapies and potentially be broadly applicable and highly specific drug treatments for cancer.

We, our collaborators and our licensees are developing a range of anti-cancer therapies, including anti-cancer therapies based on telomerase inhibitors, telomerase therapeutic vaccines and telomerase-based oncolytic (cancer-killing) viruses, and diagnostics based on telomerase detection. We believe telomerase is an ideal target for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics because it appears to be universal (expressed in all major types of cancers studied to date), specific (not expressed in most normal cells), and critical (required for long-term survival of cancer cells). We believe that we have the dominant patent position in the field of telomerase. Whether it is achieved by us or by our collaborators and licensees, we believe that progress in the development of any of these telomerase-based cancer therapeutics will further validate the importance of telomerase as a cancer target and therefore benefit all of our telomerase cancer programs.

Links for Additional Cancer Information:

American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org)

National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov)