There are over 65,000 cases of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) diagnosed in the US each year (SEER Cancer Statistics, 2010). The use of chemotherapy in combination with biologics that target the extracellular B-cell marker CD20 has dramatically improved outcomes in NHL. The five-year survival rate for the disease has risen from 31% in 1960 to 69% in 2006 (The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2010).

Despite these advances in treatment, most patients still relapse; NHL is still associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is estimated that more than 20,000 patients a year will die from the disease in the US alone, making it the eighth and sixth most common cause of cancer death in males an...

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There are over 65,000 cases of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) diagnosed in the US each year (SEER Cancer Statistics, 2010). The use of chemotherapy in combination with biologics that target the extracellular B-cell marker CD20 has dramatically improved outcomes in NHL. The five-year survival rate for the disease has risen from 31% in 1960 to 69% in 2006 (The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2010).

Despite these advances in treatment, most patients still relapse; NHL is still associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is estimated that more than 20,000 patients a year will die from the disease in the US alone, making it the eighth and sixth most common cause of cancer death in males and females in the US, respectively (The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 2010). There remains a pressing need for therapeutics that improves outcomes for this disease.

Molecular Templates (MTEM), a biopharmaceutical company, has developed a new technology for creating cancer drugs that has advantages over existing technologies. Its lead drug, MT-3724, is specifically designed to destroy NHL cells. MT-3724 has shown promising results in early laboratory testing. MTEM seeks CPRIT funding to advance MT-3724 into human clinical testing.

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