Oncophage

Oncophage is a cancer vaccine developed by Antigenics, a biotechnology company. It is a personalized therapeutic cancer vaccine, designed to stimulate the patient's immune system to respond to their specific cancer.

History

Oncophage was first developed in the late 1990s by Antigenics. The vaccine was initially tested in melanoma patients, and later in patients with kidney cancer. In 2008, Oncophage was approved in Russia for the treatment of kidney cancer, making it the first therapeutic cancer vaccine to be approved in any country.

Mechanism of Action

Oncophage works by stimulating the patient's immune system to attack cancer cells. The vaccine is made from the patient's own tumor tissue, which is processed to extract heat shock proteins. These proteins are then combined with fragments of the patient's tumor cells to create the vaccine. When the vaccine is injected into the patient, it stimulates the immune system to recognize and attack the cancer cells.

Clinical Trials

Several clinical trials have been conducted to test the effectiveness of Oncophage. In a Phase III trial involving patients with kidney cancer, Oncophage was found to extend survival in patients with early-stage disease. However, the vaccine did not show a significant benefit in patients with advanced disease.

Approval and Use

In 2008, Oncophage was approved in Russia for the treatment of kidney cancer. It is currently being used in several countries, including Germany, Italy, and Greece. However, the vaccine has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.

See Also

• Cancer vaccine
• Immunotherapy
• Heat shock protein
• Kidney cancer

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