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Biotech / Medical : TGEN - Targeted Genetics Corporation -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tom pope who wrote (314)	11/8/2000 1:42:04 PM
From: scaram(o)uche	Respond to of 557

``The immune system has the capacity to eliminate malignant as well as virally infected cells,'' said Dr. Philip Greenberg, Member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Professor of Medicine and Immunology at the University of Washington. ``In certain disease settings, however, the replication of diseased cells either interferes with the generation of an effective response or outpaces the body's ability to make sufficient quantities of the appropriate immune cells, in particular T-cells. The goal of T-cell therapy is to amplify the number of the relevant immune cells in the body in order to enhance the body's natural ability to recognize and fight disease. Some of the early attempts to achieve this goal failed because they did not identify and selectively amplify antigen-specific T-cells as the critical class of immune cells. The REM technology can be used to identify the few T-cells that are capable of recognizing diseased cells and to expand these cells to numbers that potentially allow the body to fight disease effectively.'' We've been hearing this same sort of statement since 1970. There are rare human malignancies that are [known to be] caused by viruses, and one can use this sort of loose discussion without being technically wrong. One can also invoke tumor "associated" antigens that are restricted to given normal tissues -- and where the objective is to break self tolerance -- and also not be technically wrong. One can also talk about B cell malignancies where antigens (idiotypes) are clonally restricted and potentially immunogenic. The fact is that most studies -- and IMO, the best -- have failed to identify tumor antigens that fit this description. Without further definition of the nature of targeted "antigens", this sort of random BS just leads to confusion in the popular press and its entrenchment as dogma. It all makes sense for viral antigens. Otherwise (my opinion only, could be very, very off-base and everyone should get their own, regardless), this sort of comment from an established and respected scientist is irresponsible.