Dendreon To Present Phase II Data At ASCO; Dendritic Cell Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer Stimulates Immune Response, Delays Disease Progression.ATLANTA--(BW HealthWire)--May 14, 1999-- Phase II trials of Dendreon's 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 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. , APC (1) (American Power Conversion Corporation, West Kingston, RI, www.apcc.com) The leading manufacturer of UPS systems and surge suppressors, founded in 1981 by Rodger Dowdell, Neil Rasmussen and Emanual Landsman, three electronic power engineers who had worked at MIT. 8015, indicate positive responses in patients with advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Results of the trials, led by Dr. Eric Small at the University of California, San Francisco , will be presented by Dr. Frank Valone of Dendreon Corporation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, is an organization that represents all clinical oncologists. Every year, ASCO holds a large symposium where physicians and researchers meet to convey and discuss research and ideas. meeting in Atlanta, GA. The immunotherapy treatment was shown to be safe and well tolerated and stimulated immune responses in all patients. The time to progression of disease in study patients was also significantly longer than expected from past experience. Dendritic cells are the most powerful stimulators of immune responses. In the trial, 28 men with advanced hormone refractory prostate cancer received intravenous solutions of APC8015 monthly for a three-month period. To prepare APC8015, dendritic cell precursors are isolated from a patient's blood using a specialized process developed by Dendreon. Following isolation, the cells are incubated for 40 hours with a fusion protein composed of a protein related to prostatic acid phosphatase Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) is an enzyme produced by the prostate. It may be found in increased amounts in men who have prostate cancer or other diseases. This is also the same enzyme that is found in significant amounts in female ejaculate. . Patients are then infused with the targeted dendritic cells to stimulate an immune response. The dendritic cell treatments were well tolerated; less than 10 percent of infusions received by patients were associated with mild fevers or pain. No other treatment-related adverse events were reported. "Immunotherapy treatment with APC8015 stimulates immune responses to normal tissue antigen." said Valone. "Initial results showing delay in disease progression in patients are especially encouraging because no product has been shown to be effective for these patients." APC8015 has completed Phase II trials at UCSF UCSF University of California at San Francisco and the Mayo Clinic. Based on these favorable results, Dendreon will seek confirmation of these findings in a large, multi-center trial scheduled to begin this summer and be completed in approximately 18 months. Dendreon Corporation is a private biotechnology company developing cell-based therapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease Infectious disease A pathological condition spread among biological species. Infectious diseases, although varied in their effects, are always associated with viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular parasites and aberrant proteins known as prions. . Central to its research approach is the use of dendritic cells to stimulate immune responses. Dendreon was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. For more information about the company, visit www.dendreon.com. Details about this clinical trial and ongoing clinical trials with dendritic cell therapy in prostate cancer patients are available from the principal investigator Dr. Eric Small, University of California, San Francisco at 415/885-3780 or the UCSF news office (Abby Sinnott) at 415/885-7277. |
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