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Biotech / Medical : T/FIF, a New Plateau -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tuck who wrote (393)	3/8/2001 8:47:51 AM
From: nigel bates	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2243

March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Epimmune Inc. (Nasdaq: EPMN - news) today revealed its proprietary process for the rapid creation of altered tumor protein sequences that could enhance the effectiveness of cancer vaccines. Details of the technology were disclosed at the 3rd Colloquium on Cancer Vaccines and Immunotherapy in Abaco, Bahamas. One of the major problems with developing cancer vaccines is that the immune system has a natural tendency to tolerate the natural tumor antigens (proteins that stimulate an immune response) contained in the vaccine. However, the natural tumor antigens can be modified to create analogs so that the immune system will recognize the antigens as foreign and attack the tumor cells. One type of analog, referred to as a heteroclitic analog, can stimulate a potent response compared to the native antigen. Heteroclitic analogs have been particularly difficult to identify. ``Epimmune's data generated both in animal models and in vitro, using human cells, has shown that heteroclitic analogs are as much as one thousand times more effective at activating cytotoxic T cells specific for tumor antigens than unaltered (natural) epitopes,'' explained Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Epimmune. ``These results suggest that epitope analogs may be an important factor in developing potent cancer vaccines.'' ``While the importance of heteroclitic analogs has been recognized, their use has been hindered by the need to synthesize and test thousands of different types,'' said Dr. Sette. ``Our new technology overcomes the need to screen large panels of randomly altered analogs and provides a highly efficient analog identification process.'' Dr. Sette reported that Epimmune has developed a rational and systematic approach for identifying heteroclitic analogs. Using a defined set of rules, the Company alters specific amino acid sequences contained within epitopes of natural tumor antigens. Epitopes are the portions of the tumor antigens that act like red flags to alert the immune system and stimulate an attack on the tumor cells. The epitope analogs are then tested for their ability to induce cytotoxic T cell responses. These immune responses are important because cytotoxic T cells are capable of destroying cancerous or infected cells. ``Our approach is to combine two types of analogs, including the heteroclitic analogs described here and selected native sequence epitopes, from multiple tumor-associated antigens to maximize the number of T cells activated for each tumor antigen,'' said Robert Chesnut, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development at Epimmune. ``By using analogs in our epitope-based vaccines, we are able to activate T cells that would not otherwise be stimulated to attack the tumor. Combining these epitopes, we believe we can create even more potent vaccines against cancer and infectious disease.'' Epimmune's cancer program is focused on developing vaccines for breast, colon and lung cancer as well as prostate and CIN/cervical cancer. Epimmune Inc. is a leader in using gene maps of cancer-associated proteins and infectious agents to design vaccines that induce cellular immunity. The Company's extensive technology platform is based on its pioneering work in deciphering the genetic code which regulates T-cell activation and identifying antigen fragments known as epitopes which can activate highly targeted T-cell responses to tumors, viruses, bacteria and parasites. This new field of pharmacology opens two significant areas of pharmaceutical development: protective vaccines that activate T-cell protection against infections, such as HIV and hepatitis C, and therapeutic vaccines designed to stimulate antigen-specific T-cell responses to infections, such as HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B, and tumors such as breast, colon, lung and prostate. For more information on Epimmune, visit www.epimmune.com.

To: tuck who wrote (393)	3/8/2001 9:27:35 AM
From: scaram(o)uche	Respond to of 2243

Arrrrrgggghhhhhh............. you read too much/fast! <g> potential 100-bagger list. the science has continued to progress, and the cap has come back. if and when I ever get back to updating the list, we'll need to add NBIX. yes, a MC of >40B would be a big stretch.

To: tuck who wrote (393)	3/16/2001 12:37:20 AM
From: scaram(o)uche	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 2243

One of the great conundrums of immunology is how some cancer cells avoid destruction by the immune system. One of the great conundrums of bullshitology is why it's assumed that spontaneous cancers should be immunogenic in the first place. (still reading, Tuck. promise not to lose the thought. wish they didn't have that solid blue stripe down the left side, or that they had a printer-friendly option.) basketball....... Hampton? What is a Hampton? Geze, they took it right into the middle, and stuck it to them. Then, whoever that was who took it down court for Iowa State? He deserved that bucket..... incredible, "gonna get it done" drive.