VACCINES AND ANTI-INFECTIVES Melanoma Vaccine Found Effective - Brief Article

Applied Genetics News, April, 2000

At the 91st annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, ImClone Systems, Inc. (180 Varick St., New York, NY 10014; Tel: 212/645-1405, Fax: 212/645-2054, Website: www.imclone.com) released positive preclinical data on its recombinant gp75 vaccine candidate in a mouse model of melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. A melanoma antigen, gp75, is the most abundant melanosomal protein expressed in melanoma cells.

Daniel J. Hicklin, senior director of immunology at ImClone Systems, demonstrated that immunization of mice with the gp75 vaccine produced a strong immune response to the recombinant protein, as well as to natural gp75 expressed in the melanoma cells. Additional findings of the study demonstrated that mice immunized with the gp75 vaccine had a significantly reduced number of melanoma lung metastases as compared with controls.

"We are encouraged by these preclinical findings, which suggest that immunization with our gp75 vaccine may be an effective treatment against melanoma," says Harlan Waksal, executive vice president of Imclone.