How AstraZeneca Approaches Finding New Treatments for Patients with Multiple Myeloma
AstraZeneca’s Global Head of Multiple Myeloma Clinical Development and Strategy, Hematology R&D, Dr Nina Shah, discusses providing more therapy options for patients with multiple myeloma and making advancements in autologous cell therapy manufacturing.
What is the work you’re leading as Global Head of Multiple Myeloma Clinical Development and Strategy, Hematology R&D?
Multiple Myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy worldwide, yet treatment options are limited. At AstraZeneca, we are committed to advancing novel therapeutic approaches that aim to improve outcomes and quality of life for people living with multiple myeloma.
"Recognising the need to reduce the treatment burden for patients, we are investigating time-limited therapies so an individual doesn’t have to take therapy for life."
What is new or novel about the approach AZ is taking to treat multiple myeloma?
We are adopting a multi-faceted approach, exploring different modalities against different targets to enable more individualized treatment strategies. This includes investigating agents that directly kill cancer cells, for example antibody drug conjugates, and therapies that activate the patient's immune system to fight cancer such as cell therapy.
Our ethos is to leave no patient behind and we’re working to deliver effective therapies across all stages of disease – from newly diagnosed to advanced multiple myeloma. Recognising the need to reduce the treatment burden for patients, we are investigating time-limited therapies so an individual doesn’t have to take therapy for life.
Cell therapy is a great example of a time-limited therapy since it has the potential to deliver durable responses with just a single dose of therapy. Following our acquisition of Gracell Biotechnologies, we have accelerated our cell therapy hematology strategy and have the opportunity to explore the potential of their differentiated FasTCAR manufacturing platform.
What does that achieve over previous approaches?
The FasTCAR platform is an advancement in cell therapy that significantly reduces the manufacturing time for autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR Ts). By decreasing production times this could reduce the overall time a patient has to wait for their treatment. This could have a positive impact, particularly for patients with advanced multiple myeloma who are at risk of disease progression and urgently require treatment.
How does the work you’re leading help us in the broader goal of advancing immuno-oncology?
Immunotherapy has already shown promise across a range of cancers, and we are investigating the potential of agents such as cell therapy and T-cell engagers that could create a completely new anti-tumour response. This could extend the potential benefits of immunotherapy to even more patients. Developing therapies that harness the body's immune system to more effectively fight cancer is key for realising our vision to redefine cancer treatment.
What challenges or hurdles in your work are you focused on and how are you overcoming them?
Access to autologous cell therapy remains a significant challenge due to its bespoke nature, where each therapy is customized for the individual patient, and the need for a specialized healthcare infrastructure. To address these challenges, we are scaling up our manufacturing capabilities and collaborating with leading clinical centers globally. Additionally, our discovery teams are researching innovative solutions, including allogeneic 'off-the-shelf' technologies, to overcome these barriers and improve accessibility for patients.
Looking across hematology more broadly, there are still gaps in disease understanding. It’s critical to identify genetic mutations that drive disease progression and resistance so we can better tailor our therapies to target those pathways with the goal of improving patient outcomes.
"Developing therapies that harness the body's immune system to more effectively fight cancer is key for realising our vision to redefine cancer treatment."
What made you passionate about entering this field?
Being a hematologist provides a unique opportunity for intense patient care and constant scientific investigation. Blood cancers by nature require complicated therapies; fighting these diseases can be physically draining but also emotionally taxing. At the same time there is hope for these patients with all the recent advances in the field, especially with immunotherapy. I feel lucky to be able to think about clinical medicine, emotional connection and state of the art scientific breakthroughs all on the same day as a researcher in this space.
What was a piece of career advice that helped you during your career?
“You can have it all, but not all at the same time.” I think this is important for us all to remember. Sometimes, we have to focus on one thing to achieve a certain goal – and that may come at the expense of another desired goal. But over the years we will be able to look back and see that each era had its accomplishments, and that making certain choices ultimately led to a series of successes over the course of a productive career.
What is your career advice, especially for young women entering science careers?
Outsource anything you can, even buying milk.
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