Doctors at a San Francisco Bay Area hospital are now in phase three clinical trials of GVAX, a prostate cancer vaccine developed by Cell Genesys, Inc. (CEGE)
While vaccines are commonly thought of as a preventive measure, they may also be used to treat an existing disease. Dr. Ari Baron, an oncologist from California Pacific Medical Center is leading the clinical trial on the GVAX prostate vaccine.
According to ABC news, Dr. Baron explains how the vaccine is placed just under the skin to trigger an immune response: "White blood cells in your skin see these foreign cells. They’re stimulated then to respond to them, if you will, and train your immune system to make perhaps antibodies or t-cells against the prostate cancer." GVAX is specifically designed for metastatic prostate cancer.
Dr. Baron says that early data have been promising, and the current Phase 3 trials will provide additional data to determine how effective the vaccine is in treating prostate cancer. California Pacific Medical Center is recruiting patients for its clinical trials.
Source: AB News/KGO TV (7/7/07)
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