DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Geron Corp. (GERN) Monday released a study supporting the using
stem cells in making vaccines to fight cancer and other
diseases.
It said the study shows cells that trigger immunity responses
that are manufactured from human embryonic stem cells showed the
normal functions of the same cells that are produced naturally in
the bloodstream. Substituting the stem-cell version for the current
approach of using the so-called dendritic cells obtained from
individual patients may be a more cost-effective and reliable way
to treat cancer.
Geron's shares were recently up 2% at $7.80 in premarket
trading.
Dendritic cells are immune cells that detect viruses or bacteria
and activate T-cells - other immune cells - to start an immune
response. Dendritic cells live in small numbers in most tissues,
especially where there is contact with the external environment,
such as the skin. They digest pathogens and present antigens on the
cell surface, activating the T-cell immune response against that
pathogen, the company said. The cells can also teach the immune
system to launch an immune response against cells that shouldn't be
in the body, such as tumor cells.
Geron noted the study showed immature dendritic cells made from
embroynic stem cells are able to follow the same process.
The company said it's working on a cancer vaccine that will use
the stem cells to make a reliable product that is free from the
variation seen in many patients because of the effects of their
disease and previous treatments.
Geron last week agreed to provide stem cells to General Electric
Co.'s (GE) GE Healthcare for use in tools that test drug treatments
for their toxic effects on the body, particularly in the heart and
liver.
In January, Geron got clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for the first-ever human trial of a medical
treatment derived from embryonic stem cells.
-By Kerry Grace Benn, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2353;
kerry.benn@dowjones.com