One Company, Two Approaches to Cancer
Dendreon has developed two interesting avenues in the fight against prostate cancer. The first is a therapeutic vaccine that in just released Phase 3 study results increased survival time by 4 months. The second is a small molecule that induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells.
Provenge stimulates T-Cell proliferation and theses cells lyse the cancer cells. Although the NY Times reports it is “proof of concept” that cancer vaccines can and do work it doesn’t seem to be particularly far in the research space from mainstream work with the concerns pointed out by Rafe here and Daniel here. Perhaps since it is the first vaccine it will lead to work that will change the 4 months to 4 decades.
Dendreon’s Small Molecule Program is another step away. They have identified an ion channel that is present in 100% of prostate cancers, 71% of breast cancers, 93% of colon cancers and 80% of lung cancers and hardly or not detected in the corresponding normal human tissues. Dendreon has synthesized small molecule agonists that induce cell death by activating the ion channel and interfering with cell growth, migration and division.
So many other treatments leave cancer cells alive and able to mutate. These agonists, however, are devastating. Without the equivalent of a functioning stomach and reproductive system it is unlikely these cancer cells could mutate and evolve their way around this attack. Perhaps this success can get more funding to more innovative research projects.
Related posts:
- Killing Cancer Stem Cells
- Cancer as Evolution, part 2
- Cancer Research Surprises
- Cancer as Evolution, part 3
- Cancer as Evolution — 2008 Summary
