Prostate cancer develops from cells inside the prostate gland, a gland near the neck of the urinary bladder that produces part of the fluid of semen. About 180,000 new cases occur in the United States per year making prostate cancer the second most common cause of cancer death among men. Common treatments include surgery and radiation therapy. For men with metastatic prostate cancer, doctors prescribe a androgen-deprivation therapy which involves reducing levels of testosterone. Nearly 100% of men whose prostate cancers are still localized at the time of diagnosis will survive at least 5 years. The 5-year relative survival rate for men whose prostate cancer has already spread to distant parts of the body decreases significantly to 33%.


Genital warts are benign tumors caused by HPV strains that disfigure the genital region and can be painful. It is one of the fastest growing sexually transmitted disease worldwide. The market revenues of genital warts treatments is growing by 7 percent annually. 14 million people in North America and Europe suffer from the disease, of which only about 3 million are currently seeking treatment. 10% to 20% of sexually active Americans are thought to be infected with HPV, resulting in 750,000 new cases of genital warts each year in that country. Existing treatments include laser vaporization, freezing or repeated applications of cytotoxic substances. The major problems are the high recurrence rate (in 20-60% of patients) the side effects (local reactions such as itching or pain) and the duration of treatment.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic disease of the connective tissue that affects more than 1 % of the world population. RA mainly affects the joints and leads to deformities as well as to limited movement. Women are 3 times more likely to be affected by RA than men. The disease can appear at any age, though mainly between the ages of 30 and 50. The symptoms of arthritis may vary: mainly swelling, pain, limited movement and not uncommonly, stiffness.

Breast cancer: According to recent estimates by the American Cancer Society, approximately 193,000 newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer and 41,000 deaths associated with it occurred in the USA in 2009. Breast cancer is by far the most common type of cancer in women, accounting for 27% of cancer diagnoses.

Triple receptor-negative breast cancer: Malignant breast tumors that do not possess estrogen, progesterone or HER2 receptors are called "triple receptor-negative" breast cancer. About 15% of all breast cancers belong to this subgroup.¹⁾  Patients suffering from this type of breast cancer have a significantly poorer prognosis, and there are very few treatments available since conventional anti-hormonal treatments or treatments targeting HER2 are not appropriate. In case of recurrence following initial surgery, the only remaining treatment option is chemotherapy, and this also provides only a limited number of suitable therapeutics for this type of cancer.

HER2-negative breast cancer:  In 70 - 85% of all breast cancer cases, the tumor cells do not express any HER2 receptors, and are therefore referred to as HER2-negative. This type of breast cancer cannot be treated with therapies targeted at the HER2 receptor, such as monoclonal antibodies. 

Pancreatic carcinoma: With approximately 32.000 new cases annually in the US and a similar number of deaths, pancreatic carcinoma ranks fourth among the tumor related causes of death. Only 5 to 25 % of patients are operable at the time of diagnosis. Due to the extremely aggressive course of the disease and the dissatisfying therapeutic options, the average survival is as low as six months. One year survival is approximately 19 % and five year survival drops to 4 %. Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer and an enormous challenge in Oncology. Therefore, the need for new therapeutic options is very high.

HPV: The term “human papillomaviruses” describes a family of viruses that is capable of infecting the epithelium of the skin or different mucous membranes, causing tumor-like growth. The viruses are typically transmitted through sexual contact. Depending on the HPV type, the consequences of an infection vary in their severity. Some particularly aggressive types of HPV are capable of causing malignant changes, e.g. cervical cancer in women.

Cervical cancer: Cervical carcinoma is the second most common cancer in women, in most cases caused by “high risk” types HPV 16, 18, 31, and 45. Despite extensive screening programs, the worldwide incidence is more than 450,000 new cases annually, with 350,000 deaths annually. About 1-4% of the female population show high-grade cervical dysplasia.

1) Source: Cleator S, Heller W, Coombes R Ch. Triple-negative breast cancer: therapeutic options. Lancet Oncol 2007; 8:235-44