What does “getting in front of cancer” mean to you?
Simply put, getting in front of cancer means taking a decisive approach to the disease. It’s the only way to detect cancer as early as possible, intercept it, and, hopefully, eventually eliminate it altogether.
At Johnson & Johnson, I’m fortunate to work alongside a global team of experts who share this vision. With decades of experience and a deep understanding of disease biology, we push the boundaries of what’s possible in oncology every day.
How is J&J working to get in front of cancer in hematology?
With the right therapies—combined and sequenced—we are getting closer than ever to achieving curative treatment options, striving for a future where we not only stop progression but deliver cures.
In multiple myeloma, for example, we are building a portfolio of highly effective complementary therapies that attack the disease in different ways across every phase of the treatment journey. By 2030, we aim to have J&J treatments as the standard of care for every type of patient with multiple myeloma, striving to cure more than 50% of those newly diagnosed and supporting patients at every stage of their journey.
Meanwhile, we’re pioneering therapeutic advances in hematology by pursuing best-in-class CAR-T cell therapies and investigating new targets in acute myeloid leukemia, such as KMT2Ar and NPM1m.
These efforts are grounded in a deep understanding of the disease and strengthened by close partnerships with the hematology community. By collaborating with dedicated experts and learning from one another, we’re unlocking promising new approaches to make a real difference where it’s most needed. Together, we’re transforming lives and bringing hope to patients and their families facing these challenging diseases.
Can you hint at what J&J will be covering this year at ASH?
One thing is for certain: our presence at ASH 2024 is unmatched, with more than 90 abstracts featuring clinical and real-world data from across our blood cancer portfolio and pipeline. These data represent some of our most novel approaches yet to treating hematologic malignancies, while also advancing our goal to provide treatment options across the continuum of blood cancer care.
Specifically, we’re showcasing continued innovation in acute myeloid leukemia, B-cell malignancies, and multiple myeloma, including smoldering myeloma. We’re also sharing patient insights on rare hematologic autoantibody-driven diseases like warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA).
What are you most looking forward to at ASH?
I’m most excited about connecting with the hematology community to advance our shared goal. This is where we discuss the latest insights and advancements in multiple myeloma and how we’re getting closer to curative treatments for every patient.
The data presented by our collaborators may provide potentially practice-changing evidence, helping oncologists and healthcare practitioners make more informed choices about treatment options.
This is what getting in front of cancer means to me: being on the frontlines with our customers, partners, and patients, disrupting the treatment paradigm to change and improve lives. We won’t stop until this disease is behind us.