Home

Contents

Overview

5/10/01 Biological Therapies: Using the Immune System To Treat Cancer NCI Fact Sheet Date reviewed: 01/16/2001. Summarizes Therapies: Monoclonal Antibodies, Vaccines
5/02/01 Companies Load Up On Magic Bullets originally published 10/20/2000 Signals is an online magazine of analysis for biotechnology executives Article on Monoclonal Antibodies. Summary of Companies and Antibodies
6/6/01 Antibodies as Medicines (c)2000 Biotech Analytics Very Good Summary Article.

Monoclonal Antibody

ImClone Systems - IMC-C225 Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg
Summary: C225 will probably be the first antibody to market
9/5/01 The Birth of a Cancer Drug JULY 9, 2001 Business Week Online After more than 20 years and $100 million, IMC-C225 is awaiting FDA approval. Will ImClone's big effort pay off? The watchword now in cancer treatment is not cure but control. C225 does not kill tumors--it stops them from growing. That's important, because a single tumor is not usually deadly. It is its ability to produce more tumors throughout the body that kills. Oncologists are hopeful that, in an ideal future, they will analyze a patient's tumor to determine what cellular mechanisms are driving the cancer's growth. Then, they can choose a drug designed to shut it down. The disease would become a chronic and treatable condition, much like diabetes. Patients could go on maintenance, receiving an intravenous dose of C225 or some other drug once every four or five weeks, possibly for years. "The idea of a cure may be overrated," says Dr. Harold Varmus, president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. "I would be quite content with just keeping the cancer under control. Patients can live long and healthy lives with a stable disease."
9/5/01 ImClone Starts Approval Process for New Cancer Drug 6/28/01 In May, ImClone executives said they expected to file for approval by the end of June. The FDA has given IMC-C225 "fast track" status, which means the agency could issue a decision within six months of the application's completion. A time frame for that decision is hard to pinpoint, however. ImClone's rolling application means the company will submit data and information to the FDA in sections, as they are completed. The full application won't be submitted to the FDA until the end of October at the earliest, according to Harlan Waksal, ImClone's COO. That's when a study looking at IMC-C225 as a single-drug treatment will be completed. "The [study] and our application will be completed in October and then it takes some time for the FDA to accept it all, so we expect the [six-month] clock to start in November," says Waksal.
4/11/01 New drug targets cancer cells May 22, 2000 By Tim Friend, USA TODAY ImClone Systems, maker of C225, story of Shannon Kellum. John Mendelsohn, president of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, pioneered the research on C225
4/20/01 New cancer drugs show promise Monday, May 22, 2000 Bonita Daily News Shannon Kellum - c225+camptosar
4/20/01 New Medication Targets Genetic Flaw ABC News, May 22,2000 By Daniel Q. Haney Shannon Kellum - c225+camptosar, She now wears a pump on her abdomen that circulates chemotherapy. C225 blocks epidermal growth factor receptors. Sloan Kettering, MD Anderson
4/16/01 A Potential Biotech Blockbuster By Hal Plotkin CNBC.com Apr 13, 2001 08:00 AM ImClone Article - 17% response rate for C225 Yahoo IMCL Message Board Msg: 25314
4/11/01 ImClone's IMC-C225 shows promise in phase II colorectal cancer study Last Updated: 2000-11-08 16:00:21 EDT (Reuters Health) - BLA submitted first half of 2001. Phase II trial 139 patients enrolled Feb-July. Will present data at ASCO
4/11/01 ImClone Systems Announces Favorable Preliminary Results in Phase II Study of IMC-C225 and Irinotecan in Patients With Refractory Colorectal Carcinoma NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)--Nov. 8, 2000
4/21/01 Prohost Online- Biotech Newsletter ImClone meets with FDA for C-225 Pre-BLA
4/21/01 Imclone's Spot at the Podium May Be a Tip-Off It Has a Cancer Drug Hit 4/4/01 9:13 AM ET Thestreet.com ASCO Meeting, C225
4/27/01 Continued Response Following Treatment with IMC-C225, an EGFr MoAb, Combined with RT in Advanced Head and Neck Malignancies ASCO Abstract May 2000
4/27/01 ImClone trains its sights on cancer By Stephanie O'Brien , CBS.MarketWatch.com Last Update: 2:04 PM ET Feb. 9, 2001
6/19/01 For Imclone, It's ASCO and Ye Shall Receive By Adam Feuerstein Staff Reporter 5/14/01 10:30 AM ET But just when IMC-C225 is expected to get that green light seems to be a bit fuzzier today than when ASCO began. Most biotech observers expected Imclone to push the paperwork for IMC-C225 to the FDA during the second quarter, leading to drug sales early next year because drug regulators have already committed to examining the drug within six months. But during a meeting with analysts Sunday, Imclone COO Harlan Waksal said the company would file a "rolling BLA," or biologic license application, with the FDA beginning in June. A rolling BLA means Imclone will submit its applications in sections, as they are completed. The FDA can review each section individually, but is not required to do so. If the agency chooses not to review the application until it is completed, IMC-C225's approval could be pushed further into 2002, cutting into the company's short-term revenue projections.
6/19/01 ImClone Systems Achieves $500,000 Milestone by Randomizing 50 Percent of Patients in Phase III Clinical Trial Of BEC2 Monday June 18, 6:30 am The milestone, which triggers a $500,000 payment, relates to the randomization of patients enrolled in its multinational Phase III clinical trial of BEC2 in limited disease small cell lung carcinoma. Merck KGaA is the Company's licensing partner for BEC2 outside of North America and is co-sponsoring the Phase III clinical trial. BEC2 is an anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibody designed to prevent or delay the recurrence of certain types of tumors, such as small cell lung carcinoma. By mimicking the GD3 tumor-associated antigen, BEC2 appears to stimulate a stronger immune response than natural GD3
7/3/01 ImClone Systems Announces Achievement of a 22.5 Percent Response Rate in Its Phase II Clinical Study Of IMC-C225 And Chemotherapy in Patients With Refractory Colorectal Cancer SAN FRANCISCO--(BW HealthWire)--May 12, 2001
7/3/01 ImClone Systems Initiates Filing of Rolling Biologic License Application With the FDA for Approval of IMC-C225 to Treat Refractory Colorectal Cancer Thursday June 28, 11:01 am Eastern Time

Genentech(DNA) - Anti-VEGF, Avastin, Herceptin Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg Trials

Anti-VEGF (Avastin)
4/15/01 New cancer drugs: promise, peril Despite some deaths, researchers excited about novel agents May 23, 2000 MSNBC anti-VEGF agents - FOUR patients given the new drug, developed by Genentech, died from sudden bleeding into their lungs
4/20/01 Genentech.com Anti VEGF Info OSI-774, Anti-VEGF Humanized Monoclonal Antibody, Herceptin (Trastuzumab)
4/27/01 War on cancer remains full of setbacks No magic bullet yet, but conference receives many encouraging reports Chicago Tribune May 26, 2000 By John Crewdson and Judy Peres Anti VEGF, antiangiogenesis. patients who got a high dose of anti-VEGF fared worse than those receiving a lower dose, the opposite of what would be expected if anti-VEGF works as Genentech intended.
4/27/01 New therapies cut cancer 'supply lines USA Today, C225, Anti-VEGF, May 24, 2000
4/27/01 Hazards and Promise Cancer Blocking Drugs Are a Mixed Bag ABC News, May 24 2000. Other dangerous side effects of anti-VEGF treatment include high blood pressure and blood clots
4/27/01 Cancer Therapy No Easy Cure ABC News May 19, 1998 Of 24 patients with spreading tumors given anti-VEGF, only one patient responded with a temporary shrinking of cancer. SU5416. Cancer as a Chronic Condition.
4/20/01 Phase II Study of Fluorouracil, Leucovorin Calcium, Irinotecan, and Bevacizumab (Monoclonal Antibody Anti-VEGF) in Patients With Previously Untreated Advanced Colorectal Cancer (Summary Last Modified 01/2001)
8/30/01 Clinical Trials at Robert Lurie Cancer Center (Chicago)ECOG 2200 Phase II Trial of Fluorouracil (5-FU), Leucovorin (LV), Irinotecan (CPT-11) and Bevacizumab (anit-VEGF) in Previously Untreated Patients with Advanced Colorectal Cancer Coordinator: Kimberly

Herceptin (Trastuzumab)
9/1/01 Combining the Monoclonal Antibody Herceptin and Camptosar Chemotherapy in the Treatment of Colon and Rectal Cancer Phase II Study of Irinotecan and Trastuzumab in Patients with Advanced Colorectal Cancer and P185 HER2 Overexpression
8/30/01 A Phase II, Multicenter, Single-Arm Study Of Herceptin (Trastuzumab) In Subjects With Her2-Overexpressing Colorectal Cancer Who Have Not Received Prior Cytotoxic Chemotherapy For Metastatic Disease at MD Anderson
7/15/01 Targeting Cyclooxygenase 2 and HER-2/neu Pathways Inhibits Colorectal Carcinoma Growth Authors: Moss Mann, HONGMIAO SHENG, JINYI SHAO, et. al. Source: GASTROENTEROLOGY 2001;120:1713-1719 Conclusions: Celecoxib or Herceptin inhibits HCA-7 cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Combination therapy with celecoxib plus Herceptin or celecoxib plus 2C4 resulted in additive effects that resulted in almost complete inhibition of tumor growth. Conclusions: Combined treatment with COX-2 and HER-2/neu inhibitors more effectively reduces colorectal carcinoma growth than either agent alone. Therefore, targeting of both the COX-2 and ErbB signaling pathways may represent a novel approach for the treatment and/or prevention of colorectal cancer in humans.

Immunogen (IMGN) - HuC242 Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg Trials
Summary: vhuC242-DM1/SB-408075 2 Phase I/II clinical trials. One trial is in Chicago. See Msg: 25761 on IMCL Yahoo message board
4/22/01 Immunogen's IMGN potent approach to cancer By Stephen Lucey Red Herring March 16, 2001 HuC242-DM1/SB-408075 A second Phase I/II clinical trial with a weeklydosing regimen is ongoing at the University of Chicago Cancer Research Centerunder the direction of Richard L. Schilsky, M.D.
5/01/01 ImmunoGen Reports Preliminary Phase I/II Clinical Data on huC242-DM1/SB-408075 Nov. 10 2001 /PRNewswire IMGN Tumor-Activated Prodrug (TAP A second Phase I/II clinical trial with a weeklydosing regimen is ongoing at the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center under the direction of Richard L. Schilsky, M.D.Patients are now being dosed at theseventh dosage level, at a dose of 295 mg/m(2) administered via intravenousinfusion every three weeks.
6/02/01 ImmunoGen Reports Results from Phase I/II Human Clinical Study with Product Candidate for Colorectal, Pancreatic and Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancers May 13, 2001 On May 1, 2001, ImmunoGen and GSK began enrollment in a third Phase I/II human clinical study with huC242-DM1/SB-408075 in a more dose-intensive regimen. This study is being conducted by Anthony W. Tolcher, M.D. and Eric K. Rowinsky, M.D. Both of these studies are designed to test the safety and tolerability of the drug on a more frequent dosing schedule.

Abgenix (ABGX) - ABX-EGF Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg Trials
Summary: ABX-EGF is theonly fully human monoclonal antibody in development against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr), is used in a variety of solid tumor cancers
5/02/01 Abgenix and Immunex to Initiate Phase 2 Clinical Trial Of ABX-EGF in Kidney Cancer Apr 18, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX Initiating Phase II Kidney Cancer trials. In the coming months, Abgenix and Immunex will initiate a series of Phase 2 clinical trials to explore the tolerability and efficacy of ABX-EGF in additional cancer indications

Panorex

Panorex is approved in Germany for the treatment of stage II/III colon cancer, but has not been approved by the FDA in the US for this indication.
6/6/01 Antibodies Stage a Comeback in Cancer Treatment Steven Dickman PANOREX (17-1A) Antibodies 1998, the Cancer Research Institute, New York, April 22-24. In the longest running clinical trial of a therapeutic cancer antibody, immunologist Gert Riethm�ller of the University of Munich in Germany and colleagues report success in preventing colon cancer from spreading by giving, after surgery, a mouse antibody called Panorex, which targets a protein found in both normal and cancerous gut cells; this protein helps cells stick together and, in the case of cancerous cells, may help metastases to form. After 7 years of study, Panorex continues to be significantly more effective than control treatments, Riethm�ller's team reports in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Riethm�ller observed a 32% reduction in mortality--that is, 63% of 76 patients in the control group died, while only 43% of the 90 patients treated with Panorex died
6/6/01 PANOREX - Answer from CancerBACUP nurses and cancer specialists I have been told I have Dukes C colon cancer and that I need chemotherapy to prevent it coming back. A friend of mine in Germany was given an antibody treatment called Panorex. That seems much nicer than chemotherapy. Why can't I have that instead
6/6/01 Panorex(r) (17-1A monoclonal antibody) is demonstrated to cure more patients with Duke's C colon cancer than surgery alone; and is the first monoclonal antibody to improve survival of patients with solid tumors. (Lancet, Volume 343: pp 1177-1183, 1994)
6/2/01 Edrecolomab (Panorex, 17-1A) The CancerBACUP factsheet April 2000
6/6/01 'Smart-bomb' drugs transform cancer war Hopeful researchers predict a treatment explosion Monoclonal Antibodies By John Crewdson and Judy Peres Tribune Staff Writers February 27, 2000 The makers of Panorex, a monoclonal antibody used to treat advanced colon cancer in Germany but not yet approved in the U.S., say it has reduced deaths in test patients by a third after seven years.

Viral Agents

Medigene (MDG) - NV1020 Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg Trials
Summary: NV1020 Modified Herpes Simplex I virus to replicate in Cancer cells, currently in Phase I trials. Phase I/II trial at Sloan Kettering in NY
4/30/01 Good Progress In Phase 1 Study Of MediGene AG's Novel Anticancer Therapeutic NV1020 To Treat Colorectal Cancer Metastatic To The Liver MUNICH, Germany, March 21 2001 /PRNewswire/ This phase 1 trial is primarily designed to assess the safety and tolerance of NV1020 in patients with colorectal cancer metastatic to the liver for whom first line standard treatment has failed to bring any benefit
5/08/01 Can Cold Sore Virus Halt Cancer In Liver? NIH Panel Reviews Plan For Phase I Study By Dave Cureton, cancerpage.com Bethesda, MD. NV1020 Cancerpage.com coverage of the June 28, 2000 session of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

Cancer Vaccines

Cancer Vaccines Overview
5/23/01 Cancer Vaccines Custom Built for You and Your Tumor Biotech Commentary Aug 14, 2000 Lists Companies involved in Vaccine Research
5/23/01 Cancer Vaccines A Primer About an Emerging Therapy Published online January 2000 by Alfred E. Chang, M.D. Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center Ann Arbor, MI 48109
6/2/2001 Treating Cancer with Vaccine Therapy NCI Summary of Vaccines
5/23/01 Biospace Summary of Cancer Vaccines Listing of Vaccines and Companies
6/2/2001 Biospace News on Vaccines

Cell Genesis (CEGE) - GVAX Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg Trials
Summary: GVAX currently for Prostate, Pancreas, Lung, Myeloma. Colon in Preclinical (?)
5/13/01 Vaccines halt tumors in their tracks Two novel approaches use body's own cells to launch attack May 13, 2001 Dendritic cell vaccines, GVAX Dr. Lawrence Fong, a cancer researcher at Stanford Medical School in Palo Alto, Calif
6/2/2001 Cell Genesys Initiates Human Clinical Trials For New GVAX(TM) Cancer Vaccine Initial Clinical Data Expected in First Half of 1998 October 3, 1997 The company's cancer gene therapy program also includes a human clinical trial evaluating the company's T cell gene therapy for cancer which has recently been initiated in advanced colon cancer. The trial will evaluate approximately 20 patients and is being conducted at Stanford University and the University of California San Francisco. This therapy involves removing immune system cells, or T cells, from patients and genetically modifying them with a proprietary therapeutic gene to target and kill colon cancer cells. The T cells are engineered to target a specific antigen that is associated with colon cancer cells in over 90 percent of patients with this disease
5/13/01 Researchers Say Cancer Vaccines Hold Promise May 13, 2001 Dendritic cell vaccines, GVAX (company Cell Genesys - CEGE)

Dendreon (DNDN) - APC8024 Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg Trials
Summary: Treatment for tumors with HER2/neu overexpression
6/2/2001 Dendreon begins trial of second cancer vaccine 1/9/2001 The phase 1 clinical trial will help determine the safety, dosage and effectiveness of Dendreon's APC8024 treatment. The first trials will begin later this month with patients at the University of California, San Francisco. Further studies will take place at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The trials will include 35 patients at both test sites combined.

Therion Biologics - vaccinia-CEA (V) and ALVAC-CEA (A) Homepage BNews Trials
Summary: ALVAC-CEA/B7.1, a vaccine for colorectal and lung cancers developed as part of Therion's collaboration with Aventis Pasteur, is expected to enter a pivotal Phase II or Phase III clinical trial, subject to the results of a Phase I/II CEA-TRICOM is a recombinant, pox virus-based vaccine that targets carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) Principal investigator John Marshall, M.D., of Georgetown University Medical Center will lead the study at the Vincent T. Lombardi Cancer Center. ALVAC CEA/B7.1 targets CEA (Carcinoembryonic Antigen) protein
5/14/01 New breed of drugs aims to take control of cancer By Ronald Rosenberg, Globe Staff, 5/16/2001 Millennium Pharmaceutical, Therion Biologics Inc. of Cambridge presented data on how five of nine very ill colorectal cancer patients were alive two years after taking the company's vaccines. Typically, the life expectancy of late stage cancer patients is less than a year Cell Genesys Inc. of Foster City, Calif., presented data showing that its experimental vaccine eliminated the spread of tumors in three lung cancer patients and seemed to limit the spread of the disease in five other patients.
6/2/2001 Immune-bolstering vaccine extends lives of patients in cancer study May 23, 2000 Scientists at Georgetown University are testing a cancer vaccine that so far has produced survival rates far exceeding those achieved by patients receiving conventional therapy alone. Dr. John L. Marshall of Georgetown's Lombardi Cancer Center.
*6/2/2001 Georgetown University Researchers Achieve Increased Cancer Patient Survival Following Treatment With Therion Biologics Corporation's Therapeutic Vaccines SAN FRANCISCO, May 14 2001 The Phase I/II trial conducted at Georgetown University's Lombardi Cancer Center tested two cancer vaccines developed by Therion Biologics of Cambridge, MA in collaboration with National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Aventis Pasteur. Five of nine patients treated with sequential vaccinations of vaccinia-CEA and ALVAC-CEA (VAAA) not only showed increased immune responses, but also remained alive two years out compared to zero long-term survivors in other treatment groups Therion Biologics
8/30/01 Lombardi Cancer Center Vaccine Success Story
7/17/01 Association Between CEA-Specific T Cell Responses (TCR) Following Treatment with Vaccinia-CEA (V) and Alvac-CEA (A) and Survival in Patients (Pts) with CEA-Bearing Cancers ASCO 2001 Abstract

Biomira (BIOM)- Theratope Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg
Summary: Theratope Vaccine for Colorectal Cancer, will begin Phase III trials University of Nebraska May 12, 2001. Theratope is also used for Breast and Ovarian Cancer.
6/2/01 Results Of THERATOPE(R) Vaccine In Colorectal Cancer Patients May Indicate A Survival Benefit For Patients Who Have Failed First-Line Chemotherapy May 14, 2001 ASCO Meeting Presentation

AVI Biopharm (AVII)- Avicine CTP-37 Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg
Summary: Phase III trials of Avicine CTP-37 Vaccine beginning now. Produces immune response against hCG, a hormone produced during pregnancy and also present in most cancers.Avicine, our therapeutic cancer vaccine, is designed to produce an immune response against a well-characterized target, human chorionic gonadotropin, hCG. hCG is a hormone produced during pregnancy fostering the development of a fetus in several ways. Through extensive research, scientists found that hCG is also present in most cancers
6/2/01 AVI BioPharma's NEUGENE Antisense Drug Enters Human Clinical Trial in Cancer May 21, 2001 Summary: The study is designed to evaluate the use of AVI's antisense drug, ONCOMYC-NG, in up to 24 patients with either lung, breast, colon or prostate cancer. Advanced, third-generation antisense technology is AVI's core drug development platform. ONCOMYC-NG specifically targets a disease-causing gene sequence. AVI's NEUGENE technology overcomes the considerable pharmaceutical hurdles that remain problematic for the older second-generation antisense technology still employed clinically by others.
6/2/01 AVI BioPharma Scientists To Present Encouraging Phase II Avicine Results at ASCO PORTLAND, Ore.--(BW HealthWire)--May 10, 2001

Titan Pharmaceuticals (TTP) - CeaVac now in Phase III trials Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg
6/25/01 CeaVac Anti-Idiotype (Anti-Id) Monoclonal Antibody (Mab) Treatment for Resected Colorectal Cancer (CRC): Results of a Phase II Trial. ASCO Abstract Titan Pharmaceuticals
6/25/01 Titan Completes Patient Enrollment in Phase III Study Of CeaVac For Treatment of Colorectal Cancer June 19, 2001

Aphton Corporation (APHT) - Gastrimmune (G17) now in Phase III trials (patients failing CPT-11) Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg

Aphton's approach to the treatment of major diseases is to employ (anti) "hormone therapy." Aphton's hormone therapy involves neutralizing, or blocking, certain hormones that play a critical role in these diseases. This is accomplished by immunizing the patients with a product called, appropriately, an "immunogen," that induces in them a directed antibody response which neutralizes, and removes from circulation, the targeted hormone.
7/7/01 Marked Inhibition of Angiogenesis Pathway by Inhibition of Gastrin Presented At AGA Meeting by Aphton's Collaborative Investigators The results from studies of fresh human colorectal cancer samples were presented today by Aphton's collaborative principal investigators at the annual meeting of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) in Atlanta, GA, May 20-24, 2001.

Intracel - OncoVAX Homepage BNews
Summary: OncoVAX appears to be most promising in stage II (but not stage III)
6/2/01 Active specific immunotherapy for stage II and stage III human colon cancer: a randomised trial (Intracell)Authors Vermorken J, Claessen A, van Tinteren H, Gall H, Ezinga R, Meijer S, Scheper R, et al Source Lancet. 353:345-50. January 30, 1999. Institutions University Hospital, Amsterdam, Netherlands; University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium; Comprehensive Cancer Centre Amsterdam; INTRACEL corporation, USA. Two trials of tumor vaccines in colon cancer failed to reveal a significant benefit, but subgroup analyses suggested some benefit, particularly among patients who had a substantial immune response. (Appeared to work better in stage II than stage III)
6/2/01 OncoVAX(r) for the Treatment of Colon Cancer More information on OncoVAX(r) can be obtained by calling the Intracel OncoVAX(r) Information Line at (610) 402-5707, or by sending an e-mail to Sarah Stevens, M.D., at sarah.stevens@lvh.com. Information on Intracel Clinical Trials can be obtained by calling William E. Gannon, M.D., Clinical Trials Department, at (301) 258-5200 x1176 or by E-mail at gannonw@intracel.com.
4/17/01 Colon Cancer Vaccine Prevents Recurrence Intracell - OncoVAX
6/2/01 Colon cancer vaccine looks to be promising 6-05-2000 The vaccine is believed to prevent colon cancer from recurring in patients who have had surgery to remove tumors. While it does not shrink existing tumors, Drs. Kenneth Foon and Malaya Chatterjee say the vaccine's purpose is to kill stray cancer cells in blood and tissues that surgery cannot remove. Phase III clinical trials are set to begin in a few months and will include about 1,400 patients in a five-year study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and run by the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group.

Immune Response (IMNR) - GM-CSF Vaccine Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg Trials
Summary: Appears to be Phase I. The initial 10 patient colon cancer Phase I trial utilizing cancer cells and fibroblasts from each patient was conducted at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, and results were published in September 1999 Clinical Cancer Research. The therapy appeared safe and capable of increasing the number of CTLs against the tumor, which were then shown capable of destroying tumor cells without detriment to other normal cell types A second 12 patient colon cancer trial has been initiated using a vaccine composed of three well characterized tumor cell lines admixed with an IL-2 secreting fibroblast line, thereby alleviating the need of individual patient cells and allowing its use for a wider patient population. In addition, the tumor cell lines have been genetically modified to help enhance immunity.
6/2/2001 The Immune Response Corporation Reports Investigational Colon Cancer Vaccine Phase 1 Trial Data in Clinical Cancer Research Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center October 11, 1999
6/2/2001 Immune Response (IMNR) Colon Cancer Vaccine

Antigenics (AGEN)-Oncophage Homepage News BNews YMsg RBMsg Trials
6/2/2001 Antigenics Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN) Presents Positive Phase II Data On Oncophage(R) At ASCO SAN FRANCISCO, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Antigenics Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN) announced the results of two clinical trials evaluating Oncophage(R), the company's personalized cancer vaccine, in patients with advanced melanoma and colon cancer. In the second Phase II trial presented (ASCO abstract #1020), 29 patients with advanced colon cancer that had spread to the liver received Oncophage after liver surgery. Data from this study indicates that Oncophage therapy generated anti-colon cancer immunity in close to half of the patients. Although the study was not designed to evaluate clinical effectiveness, a small group of patients with favorable prognostic factors who received Oncophage were cancer-free longer than expected. Homepage does not currently list ongoing colon trials.

6/4/01 Geron (GERN) Homepage News YMsg RBMsg
telomerase vaccines, Oncolytic Virus - Collaborating with Duke University. Development stage is not clear (Preclinical?)
6/4/2001 Geron Corporation Announces Study Results Demonstrating the Utility of Telomerase Promoter-based therapies for cancer Thursday April 5, 2001 The research, described in the April 4 issue of Gene Therapy, shows that the cloned promoter of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene can drive the selective expression of therapeutic genes in cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, while remaining inactive in normal somatic cells and tissues

Vaccine Trials
Here are a few specific vaccine trials I was able to locate that I thought looked interesting.

Go to Page

Miscellaneous Vaccine
*6/2/2001 Vaccine Increases Cancer-Free Intervals in Stage II Colon Cancer Technique Holds Promise for Other Solid Tumors Dec. 30, 1999 (Cleveland) -- Cancer researchers are expressing cautious optimism about a pair of trials that demonstrate a vaccine made from a patient's own cells may help the body fight off colon cancer recurrences. The latest results come from a group of U.S. researchers who report their findings in the Journal of Clinical Oncology Lead researcher Jules E. Harris, who is at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, tells WebMD that the vaccine did not improve overall clinical outcome but it did improve the cancer-free time before recurrence. no patients with stage III disease had a positive response to the vaccine, says Harris. This finding confirms earlier observations that "immunotherapy [therapy using antibodies] is only useful where you have a limited or small tumor burden," he said.
6/2/2001 FIRST RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF A COLON CANCER VACCINE SHOWS PROMISE January 1, 2000 The seven-year, 412-patient trial, conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, demonstrates the promise of adjuvant active specific immunotherapy for stage II and III colon cancer patients, says lead author, Jules E. Harris, MD, of Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago. CONCLUSIONS: When all randomized patients were evaluated, no significant clinical benefit was seen with ASI in surgically resected colon cancer patients with stage II or III colon cancer. However, there was an indication that treatment compliance with effective immunization results in disease-free and overall survival benefits.
6/2/2001 Polyvalent Vaccine Induces an Immune Response to Carbohydrate Antigens in Stage IV Colon Cancer. A.J. Bilchik, M.H. Ravindranath, K. Chu, D. Soh, D. L. Morton. John Wayne Cancer Institute, Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, California 90404 ASCO Abstract 1999 Cancervax (C-VAX), an allogeneic polyvalent whole cell melanoma vaccine expressing several carbohydrate antigens common to melanoma and colon cancer was given intradermally with BCG to 20 patients with disseminated (stage IV) colon cancer.
5/10/01 Hope for a Cancer Cure Preliminary Study Finds Experimental Cancer Vaccine Promising May 9, 2001 Dendritic cell vaccines. In a preliminary study at the University of Michigan, five children with advanced cancer, including Megan, saw their disease go into remission after they were given the vaccine. Links to UMichegan site James J. Mul�, Ph.D, Anne F. Schott, M.D.,
5/14/01 Cancer Vaccine Dr. Deanna Lites Feb 12, 2001 SYLVESTER COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER IN MIAMI
6/2/2001 Cancer Vaccine Week 1998 (Technical Article) Cancer Vaccine Week 1998, an International Symposium sponsored by the Cancer Research Institute, October 5th - 9th, 1998, at the Manhattan Conference Center at the Millenium Broadway, New York City.
5/14/01 Cancer vaccine It's being tested on kidney and skin cancer patients with promising results By William J. Cromie Nov 2, 2000 Donald Kufe, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School trials being conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston
5/14/01 Award-winning doctor closes in on cancer vaccine Army News Service, Dec. 19, 2000 by Bob Coultas Peoples said he's in the testing stage of this peptide taken from a protein call HER2/neu. It's found in 30 to 40 percent of all breasts, ovarian, lung, colon, pancreatic, and gastric type cancers
7/17/01 Tumor Vaccines ASCO 2001 Abstracts
6/23/01 Novel adjuvant may improve efficacy of anticancer vaccines Thursday, Apr 19 2001
6/23/01 Dendritic cell injection route determines immune response Wednesday, Apr 4 2001

Home