TapImmune, Inc. (OTCBB: TPIM) announced that their TAP incorporated vaccine for the treatment of cancer was recently reviewed by a third party research article in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, which confirmed that the company’s vaccine should be considered as a therapy for cancer.
The article, entitled, “Restoration of the Expression of Transporters Associate with Antigen Processing in Human Malignant Melanoma Increases Tumor-Specific Immunity,” was published in advance online on April 3, 2008. TapImmune is a biotechnology company that specializes in the development of immunotherapeutics for cancer and vaccines for infectious diseases, and the company’s stock rose 37.10% in Monday’s trading.
The company’s promising TAP vaccine performs a key step in moving characteristic markers called antigens to the surfaces of cells. TAP, which stands for Transporters with Antigen Processing, are proteins responsible for supplying tumor-associated antigens (markers) and viral antigens to the surface of infected cells. Without TAP, there would be no cancer markers, thus the immune system would fail to identify the rogue cells and the cancerous cells could grow undetected.
Preclinical tests have shown effective restoration of TAP, which restores and augments the marker presentation and subsequent recognition and killing of cancer cells by the immune system. Presently, there is a great deal of research data that supports the initial description of the promising effect of TAP as a cancer therapy and the effect it has on tumor recognition. By 2010, the global vaccine market is expected to grow to $21 billion, an $8 billion increase from 2007.
The treatment was introduced in 2002 and has been under development for clinical evaluation. The company intends to bring all their hard work and advanced research forward as they look to initiate their first cGMP vaccine manufacturing contract. This will allow them to commence toxicology testing and start protocol design for a First-In-Man trial (phase 1).
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