ACTIVE CELLULAR IMMUNOTHERAPY

Dendreon is at the forefront of introducing the first in a new class of therapy known as Active Cellular Immunotherapies Active Cellular Immunotherapies (ACIs). An approach that uses live human cells to re-engage the patient's own immune system. The goal of active cellular immunotherapy is to turn the immune system "back on" to elicit a specific long-lasting response against cancer.Close(ACIs). ACIs use the power of live human cells to engage the patient's own immune systemImmune SystemThe complex group of organs and cells that defends the body against infections and other diseases.Close.

Activated T cells T-CellsA type of lymphocyte that combats disease by killing antigen-bearing cells.Closemay be the immune system's most potent defense against cancer. CancerCancer develops when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Normal cells grow, divide, and die. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new abnormal cells. Cancer cells often travel to other body parts where they grow and replace normal tissue. This spreading process is called metastasis. When cancer spreads or metastasizes, it is still named after the part of the body where it started. For example, if prostate cancer spreads to the bones, it is still prostate cancer, not bone cancer. Some cancers, such as blood cancers, do not form a tumor. Not all tumors are cancer. A tumor that is not cancer is called benign and does not grow and spread the way cancer does.Close Although a variety of immune cells participate in the surveillance and elimination of cancer cells, T cells are uniquely endowed to kill specific tumor TumorAn abnormal lump or mass of tissue. Tumors can be benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).Closecell types. When activated to recognize tumor-associated antigens, T cells proliferate and attack cells bearing those antigens. For this reason, the goal of many investigational ACIs is to stimulate and optimize activation of T cells.

The cell orchestrators of T cell activation are antigen-AntigenA substance that causes the body's immune system to react. This reaction often involves production of antibodies. For example, the immune system's response to antigens that are part of bacteria and viruses helps people resist infections. Cancer cells have certain antigens that can be found by laboratory tests. They are important in cancer diagnosis and in watching response to treatment. Other cancer cell antigens play a role in immune reactions that may help the body's resistance against cancer. Closepresenting cells (APCs) Antigen Presenting Cells (APC)A cell that shows antigen on its surface to other cells of the immune system. This is an important part of an immune response.Close. When encountering tumor-associated antigens in the body, APCs process and display the antigens, and then present them to T cells. When activated by APCs, T cells may recognize and lyse cells bearing those antigens.

The goal of Dendreon's approach is to turn the immune system "back on" to elicit a specific and long-lasting response against cancer. We do this by isolating and activating APCs using proprietary methods. We then fabricate an Antigen Delivery Cassette™ Antigen Delivery Cassette™Dendreon's proprietary approach for antigen modification. The cassette allows for the engineering or modification of tumor antigens to augment the uptake and processing of the antigen by dendritic cells to increase the potency of an immune response. Close by combining the APCs with a bio-engineered target antigen. These enhanced APCs now have the ability to alert the patient's T cells to attack the cancer.

ACIs hold promise because they may provide patients with a meaningful survival benefit with low toxicities. Dendreon's lead ACI candidate is in late-stage development for the treatment of metastatic, androgen-independent Androgen-IndependentTerm for prostate cancer cells that no longer respond to hormone therapy; also known as hormone-refractory. Closeprostate ProstateA gland in the male reproductive system. The prostate surrounds the part of the urethra (the tube that empties the bladder) just below the bladder, and produces a fluid that forms part of the semen.Closecancer.