Take an in-depth look at how Johnson & Johnson is working toward its vision of helping create a world without cancer
Innovation
26 The HEALTH | March-April . 2024
Could we be on our way to eliminating cancer for good ?
Take an in-depth look at how Johnson & Johnson is working toward its vision of helping create a world without cancer
BY HALLIE LEVINE
SINCE 1991 , cancer death rates have declined by 33 per cent in the US . This encouraging news is due to advances in modern medicine and increased awareness , but there is still work to be done . Cancer remains a leading cause of death globally , and people from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds are more likely to have worse outcomes .
That ’ s why , for the past 30 years , Johnson & Johnson has been working relentlessly to progress innovative approaches and treatment options , while building awareness to ensure everyone , everywhere has access to care .
“ Our vision is to eliminate cancer ,” explains Craig Tendler , M . D ., Vice President Oncology , Clinical Development , Diagnostics and Global Medical Affairs at Johnson & Johnson . “ The best way to do that is to focus on earlier stage disease , which means improving the tools we have for diagnosis or creating new treatments that can be used early on to treat or intercept the disease before it becomes incurable .”
And the company is hard at work . Back in October 2023 , Johnson & Johnson presented new research in lung , bladder and prostate cancers at the European Society for Medical Oncology Annual Meeting and in multiple myeloma , B-cell malignancies and myeloid malignancies at the American Society of Haematology Annual Meeting in December 2023 . Both meetings showcased innovation and progress in advancing science and novel treatments , with a focus on improving outcomes for — and the lives of — patients who are facing these complex cancers .
Here ’ s a close look at exactly how Johnson & Johnson is working toward its mission to get in front of — and ultimately eliminate — the disease .
1 . ADVANCES TO HELP DIAGNOSE AND TREAT PREMALIGNANCIES
As Dr Tendler explains , the best way to work toward curing cancer is by focusing on early interventions , when the disease is more localised .
One example : the company ’ s work in multiple myeloma , a rare form of blood cancer in which plasma cells develop a mutation that causes them to grow uncontrolled and take over the bone marrow .
A small portion of people with multiple myeloma have something called “ smouldering myeloma ,” a precancerous condition
Monarch™ Platform for Bronchoscopy .
Microscopic multiple myeloma cancer cells .
that alters certain proteins in the blood but doesn ’ t yet cause clinical symptoms . “ One out of every 10 of these patients will go on to develop multiple myeloma in the following 12 months ,” explains Jordan Schecter , M . D ., Vice President of the Multiple Myeloma Disease Group , Johnson & Johnson .
“ The standard of care now is to observe patients with smouldering myeloma rather than treat them proactively ,” explains Dr Schecter . “ That may mean that a patient ends up hospitalised due to multiple myeloma symptoms before they can even start treatment . The hope is to identify and treat patients with smouldering myeloma earlier to prevent them from ever getting multiple myeloma in the first place .”
That ’ s why company researchers are investigating whether certain genetic markers can signal which patients with smouldering myeloma are at the highest risk of progressing to multiple myeloma . They are also studying whether certain treatments may benefit patients with the precancerous condition .
About 15 per cent of patients with multiple myeloma will also be diagnosed with AL amyloidosis , a rare disease that occurs when a protein called amyloid builds up in organs like the heart , kidneys , liver and spleen . Like multiple myeloma , AL amyloidosis affects the plasma cells inside the bone marrow and may cause permanent organ damage if not treated early .
Early diagnosis can prevent organ damage down the line , but because symptoms of AL amyloidosis — like shortness of breath , fatigue and swelling in the legs — mimic other conditions , it can be hard to diagnose . Through a strategic partnership with Ultromics , Johnson & Johnson is working on an artificial intelligence algorithm that can analyse
echocardiograms in patients with multiple myeloma or smouldering myeloma and detect subtleties that may indicate if the patient has amyloidosis .
The patients who do show evidence of amyloidosis then go on to get a heart biopsy to confirm the diagnosis . “ This way , if you have 100 patients , the algorithm may help identify two who possibly have amyloidosis and need a biopsy , versus doing a biopsy of all 100 patients ,” says Dr Schecter .
2 . MINIMALLY INVASIVE PROCEDURES
While therapies exist to treat many cancers , one challenge can be physically accessing hard-to-reach areas where malignant tumours may grow .
For example , bladder cancer , which affects 800,000 people in the US rises from the bladder lining , which makes it challenging to physically access treatments . “ Liquid drugs don ’ t stay in the bladder for long , since they are excreted in the urine ,” explains Chris Cutie , M . D ., Vice President , Disease Area Leader , Bladder Cancer , Johnson & Johnson .
“ As a urologist , I knew we needed to develop an effective way to release a drug within the bladder at a low continuous dose that would limit systemic side effects ,” explains Dr Cutie . So , his team initiated the study of a new treatment approach for bladder cancer : an investigational novel targeted releasing system that ’ s inserted into the bladder and steadily delivers therapy directly through this proprietary device technology .
“ This device relies on osmosis ,” explains Dr Cutie . “ When we place it into the bladder , over several weeks , treatment diffuses out locally into the lining of the bladder .” The device recently received Breakthrough