Geron reports cancer vaccine safe
WASHINGTON, April 7 (Reuters) - An early try at making a
universal cancer vaccine seems to be safe, and shows some
indication that it may even work, researchers at Geron Corp.
<GERN.O> said on Monday.
The first few cancer patients immunized with the vaccine
showed no bad reactions and in fact seemed to mount an immune
response against their own cancers, the Menlo Park,
California-based company said.
The results are very preliminary but suggest the research
approach is valid, Geron said in a statement.
Geron shares rose slightly on the news, to $6.70 a share in
mid-morning trading.
Geron was scheduled to present its findings at a meeting of
the American Association of Cancer Research in Toronto, but the
meeting was canceled because of fears about an outbreak of
pneumonia known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
Many groups are working on cancer vaccines. The body's
immune system sometimes does recognize and destroy cancer
cells, but not always.
The idea behind a vaccine is to boost this response. But a
big question is what part of a cancer cell can be best used to
stimulate the immune system -- especially as doctors do not
want to accidentally cause the destruction of healthy cells.
Geron's approach targets telomerase, a protein that gives
cells a kind of immortality. It is important early in life, but
seems to be turned off once the body matures.
Cancer cells, however, over-produce telomerase, giving
themselves extra-long lives and allowing themselves to
proliferate wildly.
Geron's vaccine uses immune cells known as dendritic cells.
They are taken from the patient, spliced with genetic signals
from telomerase, and then returned to the patient. The hope is
that other immune cells will become primed to destroy anything
with extra telomerase.
The first few patients vaccinated this way showed no serious
adverse effects, Geron said. It is a Phase I trial meant to
show safety, and is only partly finished, the company said.
"Because telomerase is present in all major types of cancer
cells, telomerase holds great promise for use in a universal
cancer vaccine for the treatment of a broad range of tumor
types, either alone or in combination with other antigens, "
Dr. Thomas Okarma, Geron's president and chief executive
officer, said in a statement.
((Reporting by Maggie Fox, Editing by Jackie Frank; Washington
newsroom +1 202 898 8300, fax +1 202 898 8383, e-mail
washington.bureau.newsroom@reuters.com)) |
