Geron Corporation Reports Publication of Research Supporting the Utility of Telomerase as a Universal Antigen for Cancer Immunotherapy
MENLO PARK, Calif., Mar 18, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN) announced today the publication of research results that support the utility of telomerase for widespread applications in cancer immunotherapy.
The research, published in the March 2003 issue of Cancer Gene Therapy, shows that different types of cancer cells, including cancer cells without any known tumor-associated antigens, can be killed by telomerase-based immunotherapy. Geron scientists studied melanoma and colon cancer cell lines that are known to express the tumor-associated antigens, MART-1 and CEA-1, respectively, and an osteosarcoma line lacking any known tumor antigen. Telomerase was introduced into human dendritic cells by gene transfer enabling the dendritic cells to generate telomerase specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) that killed all three tumor cell lines. These findings show that telomerase vaccination can be used in all cancer patients, even those with tumors that do not express any known tumor-associated antigens.
Telomerase is activated in all human cancer types, including breast, lung, colon, prostate, pancreatic and hematologic tumors. Telomerase is therefore an attractive candidate for use as a universal therapeutic cancer vaccine. A Phase 1 study of Geron's ex-vivo telomerase vaccine is currently underway in patients with metastatic prostate cancer at Duke University Medical Center.
Study Results
In the study, Geron scientists were able to show that dendritic cells (the most potent antigen presenting cells in the body) obtained from the peripheral blood of normal healthy volunteers can be modified in vitro with purified human telomerase DNA or with an adenoviral vector containing human telomerase DNA. The resulting telomerase-modified dendritic cells then present antigenic fragments of the telomerase protein to T-lymphocytes, thereby enabling them to recognize and kill telomerase-positive cancer cells. This study shows that dendritic cells genetically modified with the telomerase gene can be used to generate an immune response against cancer cells, and extends previous work that showed similar results using telomerase RNA (Nature Medicine 2000;6:1011-1017) or telomerase peptides (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2000; 25:4796-4801) as antigens. These results support the potential use of telomerase as a universal cancer vaccine administered directly to cancer patients in order to induce a strong and specific anti-telomerase immune response in which the patients own lymphocytes recognize and kill telomerase-expressing cancer cells.
"The universal expression of telomerase in cancer cells forms the rationale for our ongoing programs in telomerase inhibition (GRN163), telomerase oncolytic viruses (partnered with Genetic Therapy, Inc./ Novartis), and telomerase immunotherapy, currently in Phase 1 clinical trials at Duke," said David B. Karpf, Geron's executive medical director of oncology. "This study provides additional support for the use of telomerase in cancer vaccine trials, and suggests that telomerase-based immunotherapy may be useful for all cancer patients regardless of the tumor antigen status of their cancer cells."
Physicians or patients who would like more information on the Duke telomerase vaccine trial may contact the clinical trials coordinator at 919/668-3457.
Geron is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic and diagnostic products for applications in oncology and regenerative medicine, and research tools for drug discovery. Geron's product development programs are based upon three patented core technologies: telomerase, human embryonic stem cells, and nuclear transfer.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements in this press release regarding future applications of Geron Corporation's technology constitute statements involving risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and commercialization of potential products, need for additional capital, regulatory approvals and clearances, and the maintenance of our intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Additional information on potential factors that could affect our results and other risks and uncertainties are detailed from time to time in Geron's periodic reports, including the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002.
CONTACT: Geron Corporation, Menlo Park
David L. Greenwood, 650/473-7765
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FirstAlert 3/19: Paris in the Springtime
Mar 19, 2003 (financialwire.net via COMTEX) -- (FinancialWire) Saddam, have you seen Paris in the Springtime? Flowers blooming, a cozy rendezvous at a sidewalk cafe on the Champs Elysee, taking in some Leonardos and Michaelangelos at the Louvre, scenic walks along the Seine, and the opportunity to have a picture taken of yourself next to a cardboard cutout of yourself in front of Notre Dame, lots of mustached former dictators to hang out with in the West Bank, and of course, your friend and benefactor Jacques Chirac as your personal host and guide. Too, there is Les Folies Bergere and haberdasheries galore. You may have to get used to the snide waiters and confusion over the menus, but Saddam, your psychotic sons would just love the place. They'd get themselves a little Vespa and while they'd actually have to romance rather than command women as subjects, they could get used to that. But, noooooo, you're going to stay right there and put your countrymen in harm's way. You couldn't even wait for the clock to tick down. Well, they're coming, Saddam. There are no economic indicators due out today, so the focus is on you, Saddam. Have a nice life, what's left of it.
FirstAlert focuses today on Nike Corp. (NYSE: NKE), which reports profits after the bell, Albertson's (NYSE: ABS), expected at $0.51, Biomet (NASDAQ: BMET), at $0.28, FedEx (NYSE: FDX), at $0.51, General Mills (NYSE: GIS), at $0.66 and Univision (NYSE: UVN), expected at $0.13. A key report will be coming from Bear Stearns (NYSE: BCS), expected at $1.33, and the first of four retail brokers' reports over two days that will give a better picture of how the institutions, many of them under fire, have been holding up. Finally, XTO Energy (NYSE: XTO), is set to forward split 4-3 today. The Investrend 50 Most Actives Tuesday found 39 advancing and 11 declining, with most of the decliners on the Nasdaq. Leading the advancers were Geron Corp. (NASDAQ: GERN), up a phenomenal 142.77% on news it may have an anthrax vaccine, along with Human Genome (NASDAQ: HGSI), up a "piddling" 12.81%, and Advanced Micro Device (NYSE: AMD), up 12.74%. The leading decliners were "it couldn't happen to a nicer stock" Altria Group (NYSE: MO), down 5.99%, and Veritas Software (NASDAQ: VRTS, off 3.13%. Most of the most actives traded in a narrow mid-range.
These conditions may impact the conference calls on tap today on Investrend Broadcast via partner BestCalls. Conference call details are at Investrend Broadcast at http://www.investrend.com/articles/secondlevel.asp?level=164 and at http://www.financialwire.net .
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