At our Global Research and Development site in La Jolla, California, a dedicated team of scientists is focused on discovering and developing potentially new groundbreaking therapies to treat many forms of cancer, including breast cancer — the most common invasive cancer worldwide, with over two million individuals impacted each year.¹

Aggressive chemotherapy was the go-to treatment for most breast cancer patients 15 to 20 years ago. Today, we understand much more about how cancer cells change over time, accumulating mutations that allow them to avoid and resist therapies. This has led to significant advancements in a new set of treatment options, called targeted therapies.

Targeted therapies have the potential to treat specific types of breast cancer and can work in different ways, such as by activating the body’s immune system, killing cancer cells or stopping their replication, or overcoming their resistance to treatment. Our scientists are focused on continuing to learn how tumor cells work and how they mutate to help them discover new and better targeted therapies that can hopefully disrupt the ability of cancer cells to adapt and proliferate. The speed at which tumor cells mutate and the variety of mutations that can develop is the puzzle oncology researchers must unlock.

“I am incredibly proud of the work my team is conducting to identify novel therapeutic options that could have a life-changing impact on patients living with cancer,” said Astrid Ruefli-Brasse, Ph.D., Vice President of Tumor Biology, Pfizer Oncology. “Patients are the inspiration behind the work we do, and we know that every breakthrough we can find will hopefully impact a person, their family, and their community. It’s inspiring to know our scientists are behind that.”

Today, we have an industry-leading portfolio of 24 approved innovative cancer medicines and biosimilars across more than 30 types of cancer, and we expect up to 14 potential approvals by 2025 or 2026 across our oncology portfolio. As we continue to pursue new and targeted therapies for indications in cancer, we remain guided by both our relentless focus on the science and our research teams’ commitment to delivering the most impactful treatment options for the patients who need them most.

Learn more about our site in La Jolla on Vice here.