For a quarter of a century, World Cancer Day (February 4th) has driven awareness for medical research aimed at improving patient care and preventing cancer. During that time, great strides have been made in detection rates and treatments but the battle against the illness is not yet won. People with cancer are living longer than ever before but there’s clearly still more to be done, especially around early detection, which can significantly improve survival rates.
 

But the task isn’t getting any easier. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, global cancer cases will increase by 77% by 2050, making early detection more important than ever. However, although there have been some important diagnostic advances, disparities in access to an initial diagnosis remain a challenge, especially in poorer communities where resources are limited.
 

We shouldn’t let the scale of the problem dishearten us, though. Advances in genomics and molecular diagnostics are helping the medical profession create more targeted therapies, improving patient outcomes.
 

This year’s World Cancer Day theme is 'United by Unique’, which "places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation”. And so does the next generation of cancer treatments. A shift towards precision medicine and tailored therapies is helping us personalize how the illness is detected and treated.
 

Fast and Reliable Detection

Agilent’s day-to-day work with our customers is helping to reshape how we view the illness and how we tackle it, too. For example, our strategic partnership with PathAI, a leading developer of AI-powered pathology research tools and services, is enabling biopharmaceutical organizations to use AI to craft diagnostic tests to determine if a particular therapeutic drug is applicable to a specific person.
 

The combination of Agilent’s assay development expertise and PathAI’s algorithm development capabilities has already opened up some exciting possibilities. Incorporating AI at the start of a test’s development makes it possible to survey all likely data outputs, maximizing the assay's potential.
 

Making Strong Connections

Advances in cell analysis, genomics, metabolic studies, protein profiling and pathology are helping us to better understand cancer and to create powerful and precise therapies. Immuno-oncology research, for example, is changing the landscape of cancer treatment by harnessing a patient’s immune system to attack cancer cells. There are also advances in genome-wide cytogenetic analysis that are helping develop solutions for inherited, somatic and haematological cancer variants. 
 

The development of safe and effective therapies requires a fundamental understanding of cancer cell biology. Achieving this will help us to identify and verify metabolite biomarkers that correlate with disease states, as well as toxicity markers for use in drug development. At every stage, from discovery through to quality control, Agilent offers reliable and accurate solutions that help our customers bring their work to market, safely and effectively.
 

Rules and Regulations

Regulatory compliance isn’t optional but it’s required for a good reason: to protect patients. As a leader with a long history of working with regulated laboratories, Agilent knows how this can impact our customers. We also consult with regulators. As a result, we are ideally placed to help medical research teams deal with an evolving compliance landscape. Agilent has systems, software, and services specifically designed to reduce the regulatory burden so that our customers can get on with what they do best – develop the next generation of cancer therapies. 
 

Agilent's broad expertise, extensive partnerships with biopharma companies, knowledge of global regulations and decades of leadership in precision medicine are encouraging breakthroughs in cancer research, diagnostics and treatments. 
 

Moreover, our integrated portfolio of solutions has been specifically designed to help our customers make early discoveries, carry out effective clinical trials and create powerful diagnostic tools. It’s an exciting time to be researching breakthroughs that could improve lives around the globe.

Together, we are united in the fight against cancer.

---

Media Inquiries

To request more information or connect with an Agilent expert please contact:
 

Agilent Business Public Relations
pdl-business-pr@agilent.com

---