Posted on 04/29/2010 1:20:14 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Shares of Dendreon Corp. jumped Thursday following the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the biotech's drug Provenge to treat advanced prostate cancer.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
ping.
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By combining our experience in processing antigen-presenting cells and identifying and engineering antigensAntigenA substance that causes the body's immune system to react. This reaction often involves production of antibodies. For example, the immune system's response to antigens that are part of bacteria and viruses helps people resist infections. Cancer cells have certain antigens that can be found by laboratory tests. They are important in cancer diagnosis and in watching response to treatment. Other cancer cell antigens play a role in immune reactions that may help the body's resistance against cancer. Close, we are at the forefront of producing autologous cellular immunotherapies Autologous Cellular Immunotherapies (ACIs)An approach that uses live human cells to re-engage the patient's own immune system. The goal of autologous cellular immunotherapy is to turn the immune system "back on" to elicit a specific long-lasting response against cancer.Close(ACI) products, a class of therapies designed to stimulate a tumor-directed immune response.
Through the use of distinct tumor-associated antigens, we believe the ACI platform could be adapted to a variety of cancers. CancerCancer develops when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Normal cells grow, divide, and die. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new abnormal cells. Cancer cells often travel to other body parts where they grow and replace normal tissue. This spreading process is called metastasis. When cancer spreads or metastasizes, it is still named after the part of the body where it started. For example, if prostate cancer spreads to the bones, it is still prostate cancer, not bone cancer. Some cancers, such as blood cancers, do not form a tumor. Not all tumors are cancer. A tumor that is not cancer is called benign and does not grow and spread the way cancer does.CloseBy reigniting the power of the patient’s own immune system, Immune SystemThe complex group of organs and cells that defends the body against infections and other diseases.CloseACI may provide patients with a new treatment alternative in the fight against cancer. Our approach to active immunotherapy is to first identify or in-license antigens that are expressed on cancer cells and are suitable targets for cancer therapy; create proprietary, genetically engineered antigens that will be optimally processed by antigen-presenting cells; and isolate antigen-presenting cells using proprietary methods and combine these antigen-presenting cells with the engineered antigens ex vivo.
Video at Txcell.....
Autologous cellular immunotherapies hold promise because they may provide patients meaningful clinical benefits with low toxicity.
TxCell develops innovative treatments for Crohn's (phase I/IIa) and Rheumatoid Arthritis patients (pre-clinical stage).
TxCell is a spin-off from the French Medical Research Institute (INSERM) .
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