AVAX Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVXT) today announced the presentation of data at the 91st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), which indicate that M-Vax™, a cancer vaccine made from the patient's own tumor cells, induces T cell infiltration of metastatic sites. T cells are the class of white blood cells believed to be instrumental in fighting cancer cells. The presentation, entitled "T cell receptor structure of lymphocytes infiltrating melanoma metastases after administration of autologous, dinitrophenyl-modified vaccine," showed data that continue to validate earlier results demonstrating that M-Vax elicits an immune response in patients with advanced disease. Most importantly, the data suggest that the vaccine induces the expansion of novel T cell clones, targeted against the tumor. These T cells are involved in controlling immune reactions and may also be the principal agents of anti-tumor effects. The studies were conducted by David Berd, M.D., inventor of the AC Vaccine™ technology and Professor of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University.
The data reported represent a follow up of earlier work published in 1997 that demonstrate that certain dominant T cell receptor families were identified in nine out of ten melanoma tumors removed from advanced patients who had an immunologic response to M-Vax. In contrast, examination of control specimens - tumors removed from patients before treatment with M-Vax or T cells extracted from blood showed a random pattern of T cells, which would be expected in the absence of an anti-cancer immune response. These findings suggest that treatment with M-Vax results in the expansion of certain groups of T cells that were not present before treatment, and that these T cells specifically target the tumor.
"In previous studies we found that M-Vax caused the development of inflammation in the tumors," Dr. Berd explained. Dr. Berd said that the tumors bec
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Contact: Olga Fleming
ofleming@cpronline.com
201-641-2408 ext 34
AVAX Technologies, Inc.
3-Apr-2000