It’s In My Blood – Compounding Past Advancements for Our Future Ambitions

In the fourth edition of the “It’s In My Blood” interview series, I want to take a moment to reflect on 2022 and the accomplishments achieved by our growing Hematology R&D team at AstraZeneca.

Expanding our early hematology R&D pipeline and welcoming new experts into the team

Our Pipeline on Display at ASH 2022

ASH is always an exciting time to learn about the latest innovations in hematology from colleagues and peers around the world, and this year was no exception. We showcased the strength of our diverse, and rapidly growing hematology pipeline across a range of blood cancers, including data showing the early potential of emerging immunotherapy treatments, such as T-cell engagers and small molecules harnessing the apoptotic cell death pathway. With the cumulation of much hard work, persistence and collaboration, I am incredibly proud to see the potential impact our research could have on the lives of patients with blood cancer.

Expanded Our Hematology R&D Pipeline

This year, our scientists explored a number of novel and validated targets in blood cancer, including new ways to activate the immune system against cancer. This includes small molecular inhibitors and degraders, antibody drug conjugates, epigenetic modifiers, bispecific antibodies and CAR-T cells. With the expansion of our pipeline and the building momentum in clinical development, we now possess multiple modalities targeting distinct and complementary mechanisms to pinpoint a wide range of hematologic malignancies. Importantly, our diverse portfolio provides a unique opportunity to explore novel combination treatment strategies, which is instrumental in our vision to build new, potentially transformative, standards of care for blood cancer.

And of course, some of this progress would not be possible without collaborations, deals and acquisitions. This year alone, acquisitions and collaborations have paved the way for accelerating the discovery and development of innovative cancer treatment strategies – including small molecules targeting epigenetic proteins, novel T-cell engagers and diagnostic assays. ?

By working closely with the broader hematology community, we are ensuring that we’re bringing the best medicines to the right patients – and leaving no stone unturned in our quest to one day find a cure for blood cancers.

Expansion of our team with new expertise and leaders in the field

Much of this would not be possible without being surrounded by such a talented group of people, who are passionate about bringing impactful medicines to patients with hematological malignancies. In 2022, we have expanded our team of world leading hematologists and researchers whose expertise and passion for making a difference to patients is truly inspiring. This year, we had the joy of welcoming a diverse range of new scientists and physicians to our hematology R&D team to lead our phenomenal hematology teams, so we can continue to make great strides and ultimately make a difference for people living with blood cancer:

·??????Dr. Jude Fitzgibbon, Vice President, Head of Discovery and Target Biology

·??????Dr. Nina Shah, Global Head of Multiple Myeloma Clinical Development and Strategy

·??????Dr. Daniel (“Dan”) Auclair, Executive Director, Head of Translational Medicine

·??????Dr. Makhdum Ahmed, Executive Director, Global Project Leader

Relatedly, new additions to our team now means that more than 60% of our Hematology R&D team are women, bringing us one step closer to addressing the gender inequality in our field and bringing new thinking to the table as we search for cures. Our team is also taking steps to increase the percentage of female clinical trial researchers, a space where women only represent 22% of all coordinating investigators and 35% of all steering committee members.

Looking Ahead to 2023

We have a bold ambition to transform the standard of care in blood cancer – and 2023 will bring us another step closer to realization. I’m looking forward to sharing highly anticipated data readouts from our diverse pipeline, as well as expanding our footprint into a broader range of hematological malignancies.?