Innovative Cancer Treatments | Takeda Oncology
Scientific Platforms
Our Research & Development Focus
Our research and development efforts are focused on advancing treatments for thoracic, gastrointestinal and hematologic cancers by utilizing approaches best suited to make a difference for patients. Our investigational therapies are classified within four modalities: antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), bispecifics, small molecules and gamma delta T cell therapies.
We are well positioned to advance therapies leveraging these modalities, drawing on decades of experience as pioneers in developing small molecules, such as proteasome inhibitors for hematologic cancers, as well as expertise in ADCs and early-stage programs across our core modalities.
- Antibody-Drug Conjugates combine the targeting specificity of antibodies with the power of anti-cancer drugs. The antibody part of the ADC specifically binds to cancer cells, delivering the attached drug directly to the tumor, which is designed to help kill cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissues.1-3
- Bispecifics are next-generation monoclonal antibodies, but instead of one target, they are designed to engage two different targets simultaneously. When used against cancer, bispecific antibodies can bind to both a cancer cell and an immune cell, becoming a bridge that enables the immune system’s ability to recognize and attack the cancer and enhances the body's natural ability to fight the disease.4-6
- Small Molecules can enter cells easily and interfere with specific proteins or pathways that cancer cells rely on to grow and survive due to their size and low molecular weight. These molecules can activate cell death pathways, block signals that tell cancer cells to divide, recruit immune cells to attack the tumor and/or disrupt other processes that cancer cells need, in an effort to slow down or stop the progression of the disease.7-9
- Gamma Delta T Cell Therapies are a form of immunotherapy that harnesses a unique subset of T cells to target and destroy cancer cells. Unlike other T cells, gamma delta T cells have been shown to recognize and attack a wide range of cancer cells while potentially sparing healthy cells, without the need for prior sensitization.10-12
We are progressing internal programs that leverage these modalities, which have the potential to address cancer from multiple angles, while evaluating opportunities for external collaboration and partnerships to continue growing our pipeline. While we are currently focused on these four modalities, we continue to monitor scientific advances and prioritize opportunities with the highest potential to address patients’ needs.
References
1 Huang YC, Chen G. Characterization of antibody-drug conjugates by mass spectrometry: advances and future trends. Drug Discovery Today. 2016;21:850-855. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2016.04.004. 2 Alley SC, Okeley NM, Senter PD. Antibody–drug conjugates: targeted drug delivery for cancer. Current Opinion in Chemical Biology. 2010;14:529-537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2010.06.170. 3 Flygare JA, Pillow TH, Aristoff PA. Antibody-Drug Conjugates for the Treatment of Cancer. Chem Biol Drug Des. 2013;81:113-121. https://doi.org/10.1111/cbdd.12085. 4 Labrijn AF, Janmaat ML, Reichert JM, Parren PW. Bispecific antibodies: a mechanistic review of the pipeline. Nat. Rev. Drug. Discov. 2019;18:585-608. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41573-019-0028-1. 5 Brinkmann U, Kontermann RE. Bispecific antibodies. Science. 2021;372:916-917. https://doi:10.1126/science.abg1209. 6 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bispecific Antibodies: An Area of Research and Clinical Applications. 2024. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/spotlight-cder-science/bispecific-antibodies-area-research-and-clinical-applications. 7 Liu GH, Chen T, Zhang X, Ma XL, Shi HS. Small molecule inhibitors targeting the cancers. MedComm (2020). 2022;3(4):e181. https://doi:10.1002/mco2.181. 8 Li R, Ma X-L, Gou C and Tse WKF. Editorial: Novel small molecules in targeted cancer therapy. Front. Pharmacol. 2023;14:1272523. https://doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1272523. 9 Sun G, Rong D, Li Z, et al. Role of Small Molecule Targeted Compounds in Cancer: Progress, Opportunities, and Challenges. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021;9:694363. https://doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.694363. 10 Saura-Esteller J, de Jong M, King LA, Ensing E, Winograd B, de Gruijl TD, Parren PWHI and van der Vliet HJ. Gamma Delta T-Cell Based Cancer Immunotherapy: Past-Present-Future. Front. Immunol. 2022;13:915837 https://doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.915837. 11 Mensurado S, Blanco-Domínguez R, Silva-Santos B. The emerging roles of γδ T cells in cancer immunotherapy. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2023;20(3):178-191. https://doi:10.1038/s41571-022-00722-1. 12 Kabelitz D, Serrano R, Kouakanou L, Peters C, Kalyan S. Cancer immunotherapy with γδ T cells: many paths ahead of us. Cell Mol Immunol. 2020;17(9):925-939. https://doi:10.1038/s41423-020-0504-x.