Look for what is missing
A beautiful crystal structure at the heart of these pipeline agents Source: Alphafold
All too often in oncology we look for where there is too much of something such as oncogenic signalling.
Rarely do we actually look at what is missing – and I don’t mean in the context of protein loss like tumour suppressors.
In this case, there is yin and yang at play in terms of R&D. The good old Chinese philosophical concept of dualism is a handy analogy for today’s drug development story.
As one leading big pharma drug in a particular class slinks away quietly – almost unnoticed – to dog drug heaven, another candidate from a small biotech is marching almost stealthily towards the clinic in 2024.
There’s a catch though – while they may share a common target, the fundamental mechanism of action is an entirely different one!
What this means is we may now need to consider additional potential opportunities and complications likely not present with the existing class of agents already in the clinic…
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