Activated Cell Therapy Begins Trials of Dendritic Cell Therapy for Prostate Cancer.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--May 19, 1997--Activated Cell Therapy, Inc. (ACT) today announced that the company has initiated Phase I/II trials of its dendritic cell dendritic cell n. 1. A cell that has branching processes. 2. Any of the cells in the neural crest of the embryonic ectoderm having extensive processes and developing early as producers of melanin. therapy for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. . The company is conducting trials at multiple medical centers, with its initial site at the University of California, San Francisco . Scientists regard dendritic cells, a rare immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. component, as the most efficient vehicle for activating the body's killer T cells to specifically attack cancer cells. In the ACT-sponsored studies, researchers use the company's proprietary process to harvest dendritic cells from the peripheral blood peripheral blood Cardiology Blood circulating in the system/body of patients. The researchers then activate the cells in the laboratory against the patients' cancer using proprietary prostate tumor antigens. The activated cells are returned to the patient, causing the immune system to take up the fight against their cancer. "Unlike cancer therapies that attack and kill cells indiscriminately, this approach stimulates a patient's immune system to make a very specific attack against prostate cancer cells," said Richard Bastiani, Ph.D., president of Activated Cell Therapy, Inc. "In this way, we have the potential to generate a powerful therapeutic effect while avoiding the numerous toxic side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. associated with most other cancer treatments." Prostate cancer is now the second leading cause of cancer death among men. In 1996, 334,500 American men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and there were 40,000 prostate cancer deaths. While many men live for years with the disease, oncologists have little consensus on how to treat prostate cancer after it has spread, and chemotherapy produces only limited results. Pilot studies by researchers at Stanford University have previously demonstrated the efficacy of ACT's dendritic cell therapy against B-cell lymphoma, a cancer of the antibody-forming cells of the body. In preliminary clinical trials of this approach, approximately half of the patients experienced remission or significant tumor regression. Treated patients received relatively few dendritic cells, yet all patients developed an immune response immune response n. An integrated bodily response to an antigen, especially one mediated by lymphocytes and involving recognition of antigens by specific antibodies or previously sensitized lymphocytes. against their lymphoma. Activated Cell Therapy is a leader in the development of dendritic cell therapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease. It is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. founded in 1992. -0- Note to the Media: The press contact at the University of California, San Francisco for this news is Dale Martin at (415) 885-7277. Clinical investigator Eric Small, MD, is available for interviews as are select patients who have undergone the procedure. CONTACT: Richard Bastiani, Ph.D. President, Activated Cell Therapy 415/964-6744 or Joan E. Kureczka/Jesse E. Fisher J.Kureczka Associates 415/821-2413 |
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