With all the cancer fighting vaccines in developement, unable to be used with the current batch of chemos which damage the immune system, Solbec is entering phase 2 trials at an opportune moment. Coramsine does not damage the immune system and tests at UWA actually illustrated a positive effect on the immune system. Here is some more info on vaccine developement against melanoma, which Coramsine is in phase 2 trials with right now. <National Cancer Institute Bethesda, MD Designing Vaccines to Treat Cancer
Our approach has been to design recombinant and synthetic vaccines targeting antigens that are recognized by naturally occuring T lymphocytes. Because tumor-specific T cells often recognize tissue differentiation antigens in their native (non-mutated) forms, it is possible to develop "off-the-shelf" reagents. Our initial clinical and laboratory efforts suggest that tolerance for melanoma associated "self" antigens does not preclude the generation of anti-tumor responses. The anti-tumor activity of experimental vaccines is generally modeled pre-clinically in mice. To study the induction of "anti-self" T cell reactivity, we have used mice transgenic for human MHC class I and class II molecules. We have used these mice to characterize the immune response to "anchor-fixed" gp100 epitopes, and to identify an HLA-DR*0401-restricted epitope from gp100. Using experimental models, we have studied the effects of tumor-specific CD4+ T cells on the induction and maintenance of CD8+ cells.
"Naked" DNA vaccines are attractive candidate vectors, they are relatively ineffective at eliciting anti-tumor immune responses in the clinic. To improve the immunogenicity of conventional nucleic acid vaccines, we have developed "self-replicating" RNA immunogens and related DNA immmunogens containing tumor associated antigens and alphaviral replicase genes. Although we initially thought that replicase-based plasmids were more immunogenic because of increased antigen production, we now know that replicon-based plasmids likely owe their increased immunogenicity to their ability to induce apoptotic cell death resulting from the expression of immunogenic double-stranded RNA intermediates.>> The first cancer fighting vaccine is due to go for approval soon after beating the best of the chemos in phase three trials. No serious side effects. There could be a shift in the way cancer is treated in he not too distant future. Solbec is poised in the right position to be part of it IMHO.
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