The immune system is the body’s natural defence system. It is a collection of organs, cells and special molecules that helps protect you from infections, cancer and other diseases. When a different (foreign) organism enters into the body, for example a bacteria, the immune system recognises it and then attacks it, preventing it from causing harm. This process is called an immune response. Since cancer cells are very different from normal cells in the body, the immune system attacks them when it is able to recognise them. However, cancer cells often find ways to disguise themselves as normal cells, so that the immune system does not always recognise them as dangerous. In addition, similar to viruses, they can change over time (mutate) and therefore escape from the immune response. Also, the natural immune response to cancer cells is often not strong enough to fight off cancer cells. Immuno-oncology therapiesa activate our immune system, making it able to recognise cancer cells and destroy them.
Now big pharma companies shopping for all Immuno-Oncology Related Products, here is a list.
- Pfizer powers into immuno-oncology with $2.85B R&D pact with Merck KGaA
- Amgen and Kite in $1bn cancer immunotherapy tie up
- Bristol-Myers adds $1.24B deal plus a partnership in immuno-oncology deal frenzy
- Novartis tackles immuno-oncology with a $750M Aduro deal for new R&D group
- Merck & Co extends immuno-oncology deal with Agenus
- AstraZeneca Inks $1.8B in Immuno-Oncology Deals as Q1 Profit Dips
- Eli Lilly puts cancer immunotherapies in spotlight with $360M-plus BioNTech deal
- Astellas dives into immune-oncology with a sweeping biotech deal
- GlaxoSmithKline joins a Big Pharma immuno-oncology R&D alliance
- Roche Joins the Immuno-oncology Front With a PD-L1 inhibitor
- Seattle Genetics conjugates with immuno-oncology upstart Unum in $645M deal
- Celgene pays $1B in landmark deal to buy into Juno’s pipeline of CAR-T drugs