Thanks for sharing those thoughts,
@Un1qu3Nam3
I can't contain my cynicism when it comes to Big Pharma and the ulterior motive to keep the little cogs turning that keep that almighty big money wheel in motion! You may well have read an early post or three of mine in which I bag out Big Pharma for not ever wanting a cure for cancer. God forbid if that were to become a reality! The word "cure" is likely a dirty word in the upper echelons of Big Pharma. A cure for cancer or even a combination of technologies that cures multiple cancers would have them tearing their hair out (unless of course they could get their hands on it with the intent to shelve it). Big Pharma makes way too much money
treating cancer!
The fact that Prescient has exclusive licence of the OmniCAR platform makes us like the custodians of the original and mainstay technology with the exclusivity to on-license it along with own patented tech to reach as many cancer sufferers as possible. We will get to potentially improve and optimise some of the best CarT therapies out there (with a bit of luck and persuasion).
The idea behind the platform is definitely to facilitate a much broader application of UPenn's and Oxford's original technology (SpyCatcher and SpyTag). Building other patented tech into the platform through PTX's its own R&D is what will make it an attractive alternative for other biotechs to license from us. They won't have to wait in the hope that Big Pharma will come along and buy their CarT drug. OmniCAR could become the way forward for a lot of small biotechs with great therapies to get their drugs commercialised too. Its clear that the way to a cure is through collaboration. The universities, the cancer research centres and the small biotechs like us only need to collaborate with a common goal. And, I'll go so far to say that OmniCAR can and could facilitate that movement away from the global conglomerate... that "big, cigar smoking outfit with much bigger pockets and better connections" as you describe, Unique.
Getting back to some of the points you specifically raised... I've always said that OmniCAR is not for sale. The concept behind the platform is one of on-licensing. Its very nature embraces collaboration and the sharing of this next-gen immunotherepy technology through licensing it out and not selling it. By virtue of that, it will generate $$ but, more importantly, spread it around those at the grass levels - the research and developers, but ultimately it will reach more cancer sufferers. Its just going to require some investors and some biotechs similar to us to come on board. It'll only take a few to get the wheels in motion for OmniCAR to take off. And, yes, Unique, I believe that the vast majority of the types that are in this field of work do it for alturistic purposes and don't do it for the "booyah bucks" and do it to achieve
meaningful change. Imagine being involved (even in a small way) in the cure of cancer!
The following is a retweeted graphic that Bec shared, which I think encaputulates what we both think about those on our Scientific Advisory Board are all about....
