Can We Talk? Starting Important Conversations About Increasing Investment in Brain Cancer R&D
Multiple, independent R&D streams and major investor discussions are converging on a set of new models for accelerating brain cancer therapeutics development
The development of new and effective treatments for brain cancer faces a number of significant hurdles: scientific, clinical, regulatory and ultimately payers. Overcoming these hurdles will require sustained innovation by organizations that are well-capitalized enough to push through the inevitable setbacks that always accompany the development of biomedical products.
Historically, investment in brain cancer R&D has proven to be a difficult sell to both the investment community and the budget allocation process at major Pharma. Why?
High grade brain cancers have bleak clinical outcomes and short timelines for patient survival making it challenging to conduct clinical trials.
The failure rate in clinical trials that can be successfully enrolled is higher than the average drug development failure rate because (a) pre-clinical models do not translate very well; (b) fast growing cancers in the cranium represent a stiff clinical challenge; (c) accessing the brain is difficult and must be delicately performed; and (d) nature has evolved features like the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) to protect a vital organ from the ingress of foreign substances.
Bottom Line: Major investors have historically viewed brain cancer R&D as akin to lighting a pile of money on fire.
As a result, innovative research in the area has been chronically under-capitalized, and has largely devolved into the realm of well-intentioned, but capital-poor academic and non-profit organizations. It is not surprising, therefore, that progress has been halting. At the recent Society for Neuro-Oncology annual meeting, I met with dozens of companies, academic researchers and investors, who were cobbling together thin funding in an effort to make some slow progress. To be fair, a number of the programs are simply rehashed variants of old, largely ineffective chemotherapeutic agents, which frankly do not deserve investment.
But there are many unpolished gems that need a squirt of rocket fuel.
We really ought to be able to do better!
To address the significant unmet need for enhanced investment activity directed at the most promising brain cancer programs, MissionGBM has begun multiple conversations in a variety of public and private forums. One such public event will be held during the upcoming GBM Drug Development Summit in Boston (March 14-16, 2023). With the gracious consent of some longtime Biopharma and Investor colleagues, an Investor panel composed of senior executives from Tier 1 Financial and Biopharma companies will join me to break down the current investment environment for brain cancer therapeutics development, and propose new models for accelerating the registration of innovative therapies.
As far as I can tell, no previous panel with such Life Sciences firepower has been organized in the brain cancer investment space.
You don’t want to miss this.
Special Thanks to my Investor and Biopharma colleagues for catalyzing the Panel:
Peter Kolchinsky, PhD - Managing Partner, RA Capital Management, LP
Robbie Huffines - Global Chairman of Investment Banking, JP Morgan
Kiran Reddy, MD - Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Life Sciences
Khalil Barrage - Managing Director, Public Equities, The Invus Group
Joanne Smith-Farrell, PhD - CEO, Be Biopharma
Lizabeth Leveille - Vice President, Boston & European Innovation Hubs & Discovery Transactions, Merck & Company, Inc.
Klaus Veitinger, MD, PhD - Venture Partner, Orbited Advisors LLC and Executive Chairman, Alpheus Medical, Inc.
David Arons, JD - CEO, National Brain Tumor Society