Newton Company Develops Prostate Cancer Vaccine

BOSTON (CBS) – Thomas Farrington was diagnosed with prostate cancer back in 2000. He underwent radiation therapy and was considered cancer free, but nine years later, it came back. “A recurrence is what no prostate cancer survivor wants to hear,” Farrington says. “Because when you have a recurrence of disease it’s like being diagnosed the first time. In fact, it’s worse because you’re not sure what your options are.” What happened to Farrington is not uncommon. In fact, in patients with intermediate to high risk prostate cancer, there’s about a 30% chance of recurrence down the road. To stop this trend, Advantagene, a biotech company based in Newton, Massachusetts developed a prostate cancer vaccine. Unlike traditional vaccines which try to prevent disease, ProstAtak is designed to prevent cancer from coming back. Dr. Estuardo Aguilar, the CEO of Advantagene explains, “It’s like putting the tools into the tumor so that the body itself can create a vaccine against that specific tumor.” “We’re actually giving a gene,” says Dr. Mitchell Sokoloff, the Chair of Urology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. “We’re putting it into the prostate. It produces a protein or molecule and then we give a drug which targets that molecule. You’re treating that patient’s cancer with a self-destruct button.” Patients receive a series of three injections into the prostate followed by or...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen Advantagene Cancer cancer vaccine Dr. Estuardo Aguilar Dr. Mitchell Sokoloff Mallika Marshall ProstAtak Prostate Cancer prostate cancer vaccine tumor Source Type: news