Cancer Patients Urgently Need Effective, Genetically-Targeted Treatments The Core Problem One Symptom, Not One Disease The disease we call cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States, accounting for 1 in 4 deaths. Yet it isn t one disease at all. The latest research shows cancer is actually a whole range of diseases with one common symptom: uncontrolled cell growth. Cancer starts with DNA While drug development has continued to focus on the location of the malignant
cells the lungs, the breast, the brain we now know that there s a complex genetic network that can start and prevent cell mutations. Yet few labs have translated that knowledge into treatments. R&D Means Business Big drug companies cancer research is kept behind closed doors. In their traditional R&D models, they pour decades of research and as much as $2 billion into developing a cancer drug, in hopes of getting FDA approval and recouping their investment. Each drug is a billion-dollar bet. Collateral Damage Most cancer treatments aren t targeted only at mutated proteins or proliferating cells. Chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, bone marrow transplants all lay waste to healthy tissues to eradicate the cancerous ones. This collateral damage causes devastating physical side effects. The Cost of Cancer Worldwide, premature death and disability from cancer has a greater economic impact than any other disease. In the U.S., cancer care and treatment account for 5% of all health spending. And, with 77% of all cancers diagnosed in people 55+, the cost of the disease will grow as our population ages. THE SOLUTION By focusing on its genetic roots and tying research directly to drug development, Leidos is rapidly developing new patient-centered treatments for cancer.
At the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos has teamed up big brains and innovative tools to take on cancer s intractable and interconnected problems. The cross-disciplinary approach is fueling some unexpected discoveries. Applying our big data expertise to the stores of patient information in electronic health records, we ve learned mathematical modeling can classify cancer by genetic fingerprint. We ve also developed a genomic database that helps researchers pinpoint mutation patterns and easily share their findings. Under the same roof, our scientists are inventing microscopic, nanoscale devices tiny enough to deliver drugs directly to malignant cells, sparing healthy ones and minimizing side effects. In the larger field, we re working to foster a new kind of collaborative science with projects like our national program on mutations in Ras genes. Through a hub-andspoke model, we ll be partnering with researchers across the country to attack Rasdriven cancers. But most importantly, we re changing the way breakthrough science becomes breakthrough treatments. We ve directly integrated research with drug development and clinical trials. So we help move new discoveries quickly from the lab to hospitals to the patients who have little time to wait. OUR VALUES IN ACTION A Network of Experts for a Network Disease Our holistic approach to cancer starts with our perspective on the disease itself. Rather
than the type of tissue, we see cancer from a genomic or network perspective. A multi-disciplinary Leidos team has made breakthroughs in genetically classifying cancers and flagging genomic patterns. To translate those discoveries into treatments, we ve tied research directly to drug development and clinical trials. Using Data Against Disease Leveraging our big data capabilities to analyze electronic health records, we ve developed a clinical genomic database and a web-based data mining and analysis platform to help analyze internal and external, structured and unstructured, data. The tool helps researchers quickly spot and share meaningful, actionable patterns. Meanwhile, we re turning numbers into healthier habits, developing analytic tools that work to identify and curb the behaviors linked to cancer risks. Treating Patients as Individuals Cancer begins and ends with people, says scientist and writer Jane Goodfield. Leidos built the Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma to treat the whole person and support the whole family. Designed by our engineering group with input from our health care team, the treatment and research center makes patients and their families feel at home. The healing environment includes a nutritionconscious restaurant, a salon for wigs and makeup, and calming spaces for meditation and support groups. KEY RESULTS Speed to Market Developing new cancer treatments in less than half the time of traditional research.
Genetic Breakthroughs Leading R&D on the Ras family of genes linked to one-third of all cancers. Longer Lives Improved survival rates by 20% over two years for kids with neuroblastoma.