Cancer is a deadly killer that has been affecting families globally for far too long. Despite billions of dollars placed into research, there has not been a great amount of success in helping victim’s survive the tragic battle. One company in Maryland has developed a vaccine to stimulate a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. That company is Northwest Biotherapeutics; their vaccine is the DCVaxA-Brain.
The DCVaxA-Brain is a groundbreaking vaccine because it is made up of the patient’s own “dendritic cells”, master cells that direct the immune system. The “dendritic cells” have been activated and educated to mobilize the whole immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells bearing the biomarkers of the patients own tumor.
Today, Northwest Biotherapeutics announced further long-term data for the period from January through September of 2009 from its prior Phase I and Phase I/II clinical trials conducted at UCLA with their DCVaxA-Brain vaccine. The clinical testing was conducted in patients with Giloblastoma (GBM), which is the most lethal and rapid form of brain cancer. During these tests, 85% of the patients who took the vaccination survived well past the median average for individuals inflicted with GBM. Furthermore, the median time of recurrence of the cancer was significantly reduced giving further support that patients taking the DCVax-A Brain Vaccine truly lived a longer.
With the recent success in their clinical trials, the DCVaxA-Brain has begun a 240-patient Phase II clinical trial, with 13 trial sites at medical centers across the U.S. The trial is not currently enrolling patients but expects to resume doing so soon.
The bottom line with DCVaxA is that it’s doing more than breaking new ground in the medical field, it is saving lives. When you research Northwest Biotherapeutics, go to their website at NWbio.com. On this site, you will see a variety of patients’ testimonials about how effective their vaccine has become. One such testimonial comes from 38 year-old Hank Zavaleta. Zavaleta, who serves as a captain of a fire department, was used in the clinical trials and states that the vaccine literally allowed him to live a full and enriched life. Zavaleta stated on the web site, “I used to be the one who did the rescuing, now DCVax has rescued me. It’s not just personalized medicine – it’s also personalized hope. I have had no side effects. It’s simple to receive the vaccine, and I am still here after five years. DCVax is a blessing that gave me the opportunity to be with my daughters, Noelle and Jessica, during their teenage years and hopefully far beyond.”
Leading the way at Northwest is Linda Powers who serve as the Chairman of the Board. A seasoned veteran in the field and a renowned name in the industry, Powers commented on the recent success and future prospects of DCVaxA-Brain. Powers was quoted as saying, “We are very pleased to see DCVaxA-treated patients achieving years of extended survival and years of delays in recurrence of this terrible brain cancer. Also, we think it is especially important that these results are being achieved without toxicity, enabling our patients to go on with their lives in a normal fashion during these years.”
Currently, Northwest Biotherapeutics is trading in the $0.80 range. With the progress of their vaccine in the treatment of brain cancer, patients who give rousing testimonials and a strong management team in place, this stock is poised to be a giant in their industry.
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