Oncology

Cancer remains the leading cause of death in the world. Nearly 10 million deaths were reported in 2020 and the numbers continue to rise. The disease has many different faces, and every tumor has its own characteristics and underlying biology. Over the last decades, substantial progress has been made in cancer diagnosis and therapy – yet, real breakthroughs are only achieved for a minority of patients and the need for new impactful therapeutic options remains high.

So far, there is no cure for cancer. Developments are moving toward better diagnoses, targeted treatments, and the inclusion of younger patient groups. The genetic profile of the patient's tumor need to be well characterized, and precise and targeted treatments must be selected for individual needs.

Our Oncology R&D strategy is based on precision drug development which enables fast identification of the most promising targets and commercially viable programs. We focus on expanding the druggable target pool, developing efficacious and “kinder”, better tolerated medicines, as well as addressing drug resistance. In addition, we have built an early pipeline in tumor intrinsic pathways (also known as precision molecular oncology), next-generation immuno-oncology, and targeted alpha therapies (TATs), which offer a highly attractive opportunity in oncology. We have a wealth of expertise and experience in these areas. However, we are not limited to these areas of expertise alone. 

At Bayer, it is our mission to address patients’ needs and to push the boundaries of innovation for those affected by cancer who cannot be helped with current treatments.

Our goal is to create a strong, sustainable pipeline filled with valuable and highly differentiated precision therapeutics. We are exploring potential targets in cancer cells and in the tumor microenvironment, focusing on tumor-specific vulnerabilities in indications with high unmet medical need.

Collaborating with the most renowned experts in the world, we are committed to discover and develop novel therapies against difficult to treat cancers and challenge this illness that affects millions of patients all over the world.
 

Our Areas of Expertise

Unleashing the power of Alpha: Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is an emerging class of cancer therapy delivering high-energy alpha radiation directly to the tumor inside the body. TAT is a potentially powerful new treatment modality and could give hope to patients suffering from life-threatening or difficult to treat cancers that are resistant to current treatment standards.

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Activating the immune response: Tumor cells can evade the detection and elimination of the body’s immune system. Immuno-oncology (IO) aims to activate the immune system to find and kill tumor cells. We are developing next-generation IO approaches that interfere at various stages of the cancer immune cycle to support the patient’s immune system, helping it fight the cancer from the inside.

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Tumor Intrinsic Pathways are a treatment paradigm that consider the molecular and cellular features of a tumor to enable the development of tailor-made therapeutic approaches for individual patients that are ultimately more effective.

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Still today, there are many proteins that are known and well-described drivers of cancer but so far it was impossible to target them with current anti-cancer therapies, which is why they are called “undruggable”. The latest developments in biomedical sciences and digital technologies are now opening up new opportunities to change this.

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