Cancer vaccine developed by Anosys demonstrates positive results in melanoma patients.

Cancer vaccine developed by Anosys demonstrates positive results in melanoma patients.[Financial Times Limited, All Rights Reserved]Chemical Business NewsBase - Press Release via NewsEdge Corporation : 10/21/2002 Anosys Inc reported Phase I clinical trial results of Anosys' proprietary cancer vaccine for the treatment of melanoma. In this study, patients with advanced-stage melanoma were treated with Anosys' acellular anticancer dexosomes, delivery vehicles that comprise all the known protein components necessary to activate the major immune responses. The results show that three of six patients who received an active dose of the vaccine (dexosomes loaded with 100 ug/ml tumour-specific peptide) achieved clinical benefit, either prolonged disease stabilization up to 12 months or tumour shrinkage. The Phase I melanoma study was conducted at the Institut Gustave-Roussy and Institut Curie in France. The data were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology in Nice, France. The trial enrolled patients with Stage III and IV melanoma who had failed prior therapy and had previously been treated with up to 4 regimens. In addition, the patients' cancers were positive for the expression of MAGE tumour antigens. Following leukapheresis, Anosys manufactured dexosomes, which were loaded with the MAGE-3 A1 and Mage-3 DPO4 tumour peptides, and then administered to the patients by subcutaneous and intradermal injection. Administration of the vaccine was generally well tolerated and there was no evidence of serious toxicity related to the vaccine. Anosys has completed two Phase I studies of patients with advanced cancer. Based on encouraging Phase I results in melanoma, Anosys has initiated a multi-centre Phase II study of 60 patients. In addition, Anosys plans to begin a Phase II trial in patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer in 2003. Anosys Inc develops innovative therapeutic vaccines for the treatment of cancer, infectious and autoimmune diseases. Copyright 2002. All Rights Reserved. Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire