Areas of focus

We have pioneered breakthrough medicines that have helped change survival expectations for patients with solid tumor cancers. From the early breakthroughs such as taxane-based chemotherapy to transforming the treatment landscape by harnessing the body’s immune system to fight cancer, the goal of our cancer research is to deliver medicines that offer each patient a better, healthier life and make cure a possibility.

Through our decades of focus in cancer, we have led a revolutionary change in the treatment of more than 10 cancers and demonstrated the survival benefits of our immunotherapies across metastatic and earlier stage disease. Our deep understanding of tumor biology, the immune system and a passion for patients fuels our focus to find solutions using diverse treatment modalities for the most difficult cancers and to address the growing issue of resistance. 

Leveraging our cutting-edge science, we are exploring different approaches that can influence the interactions between tumors, the microenvironment around tumors and the immune system to develop the next wave of therapeutic innovations while evolving how our medicines are administered to enhance the treatment journey for patients.

At Bristol Myers Squib, we’re advancing blood cancer treatments that have transformational potential. And, we are building on the life-changing medicines we have brought forward, now representing the foundations of care. With an unmatched commitment, we’re taking clear steps to build a future of better care by collaborating with healthcare providers, innovators, industry partners and patient advocacy groups to address all aspects of treatment and support. 

Leveraging multiple treatment modalities and advanced science, we seek to address hematologic conditions head on. We are exploring new treatment approaches that target key biological pathways and are expanding our understanding of immune cell therapy to improve patient outcomes. Our work in cell therapy allows us to potentially redefine the future of personalized medicine, with an advanced cell therapy program and a growing early-stage pipeline that expands cell and gene therapy targets and technologies.

With the most robust portfolio of treatments for patients with multiple myeloma, and continued expansion of treatment options for lymphoma and myeloid diseases, these advances have transformed how we treat blood disorders and have helped contribute to patients living longer and better than previously imagined. However, our work is not done. We will remain committed to supporting more patients across more blood diseases, by developing better treatment options, now into the future. 

For people living with immune-mediated diseases, the debilitating reality of enduring chronic symptoms and disease progression can take a toll on their physical, emotional and social well-being, making simple tasks and daily life a challenge. Driven by our deep understanding of the immune system that spans over 20 years of experience, today, the company continues to pursue pathbreaking science to deliver meaningful solutions that address unmet needs in rheumatology, gastroenterology, dermatology and neurology. Fueled by our passion to help patients, we follow the science to tailor therapies to individual needs, improve outcomes and expand treatment options by working to identify mechanisms that promote balance in the immune system with the goal of achieving long-term remission and ultimately, curative therapies. By focusing on elevating patient care to new standards, Bristol Myers Squibb remains dedicated to delivering what matters most – the promise of living a better life.

Our research in Immunology >

Our deep and long-standing commitment to cardiovascular disease began more than 60 years ago. Today, we are evaluating multiple novel agents to address the needs of patients with serious cardiovascular conditions. 

Our research is focused on cardiovascular diseases with high unmet needs such as arterial thrombosis, defined subsets of heart failure and cardiomyopathies.

By leveraging real-world data and precision medicine, we are investigating new anti-coagulation agents that target multiple components of blood coagulation, and pursuing novel regulators of cardiac function that may improve the health of the heart.

We are investigating novel inhibitors of a blood coagulation factor in the hope of discovering a way to achieve greater efficacy and safety in populations not adequately treated with current therapies. We are also pursuing novel regulators of cardiac function that may improve the health of the heart in patients suffering from heart failure.

We are researching medicines that have the potential to halt or reverse the progression of fibrosis, the buildup of excessive scar tissue that impairs normal organ function. We are investigating multiple mechanisms and approaches, including inhibiting pro-fibrotic factors, blocking myofibroblast activation/differentiation, and targeting matrix re-modeling and epithelial cell protection/repair. By exploring new anti-fibrotic therapeutic mechanisms, we are hoping to advance the next wave of fibrosis medicines to patients, with the goal of improving or restoring organ function. 

We are currently advancing a pipeline of medicines to potentially treat multiple fibrotic diseases including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a liver disease that can lead to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, and for which there is currently no approved therapy. We are also discovering and developing  therapies for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive lung disease with very poor outcomes and limited therapeutic options. We are researching translational endpoints, prognostic biomarkers and noninvasive imaging modalities, all with the goal of making the biggest impact for patients.

By tethering a small molecule to a biologic, antibody-drug conjugates are engineered to deliver small molecules to targeted locations using biologic monoclonal antibodies as honing mechanisms.

Biologics are large molecules produced from living organisms that may consist of a variety of organic compounds including proteins, amino acids and sugars. Most biologics have to be taken through injection because they cannot survive the digestive system.

We have a broad portfolio of CAR T and TCR constructs within our research program based on more than 15 years invested in cell therapy. We are committed to optimizing this area of research to fully capture the transformational potential for patients. 

Novel technologies that will safely and effectively deliver medicines to patients via new and potentially more desirable or convenient routes of administration.

We are working to develop a diverse array of therapeutics to target all major components of the cancer epigenome, the system that encodes expression of protein and RNA synthesis.

Gene therapy delivers modified DNA to correct, repair or replace a defective disease-causing gene. The modified DNA can be delivered through viral or non-viral mechanisms.

Millamolecules are mid-range compounds that fall in size between small molecules and biologics. Size is not the only consideration for this class, as millamolecules should also be orally available and able to interrupt protein-protein interactions.

We are working to develop cancer treatments directed at key biological pathways in protein homeostasis, including ubiquitination and degradation of proteins, a key component of this process.

Short strands of nucleic acids synthesized in the laboratory that modify cellular functions through binding to DNA or RNA.

These are organic compounds that are relatively small in size, taken orally and easily absorbed by the body.