'''GVAX''' is a cancer vaccine composed of whole tumor cells genetically modified to secrete the immune stimulatory cytokine, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and then irradiated to prevent further cell division. The product exists as both autologous (patient specific) and allogeneic (non-patient specific) therapy.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Hege KM, Jooss K, Pardoll D |title=GM-CSF gene-modifed [sic] cancer cell immunotherapies: of mice and men |journal=Int Rev Immunol |volume=25 |issue=5–6 |pages=321–352 |date=September 2006 |doi= 10.1080/08830180600992498 |pmid=17169779 |s2cid=24954445 }}</ref> __TOC__ == History ==
GVAX was developed around 1993 by Glenn Dranoff, a cancer researcher then at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dranoff|first1=Glenn|title=Vaccination with irradiated tumor cells engineered to secrete murine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor stimulates potent, specific, and long-lasting anti-tumor immunity.|journal=Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A|date=15 April 1993|volume=90|issue=8|pages=3539–43|pmid=8097319|doi=10.1073/pnas.90.8.3539|pmc=46336|bibcode=1993PNAS...90.3539D|doi-access=free}}</ref> The therapy was initially developed by a public gene therapy company called Somatix, which was acquired in 1997 by Cell Genesys.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cell Genesys to Buy Somatix Therapy|work=Los Angeles Times|date=14 January 1997}}</ref> That company took the vaccine into Phase III trials in 2004 however these trials were halted in 2008 due to an apparent lack of efficacy.<ref>{{cite news|title=Cell Genesys Halts VITAL-2 GVAX Trial in Advanced Prostate Cancer|agency=Business Wire|date=27 August 2008}}</ref> Cell Genesys continued development, however in August 2009, due to funding difficulties, the company announced that it was merging with BioSante Pharmaceuticals.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Carroll|first1=John|title=BioSante, Cell Genesys merger will provide cash for Phase III|url=http://www.fiercebiotech.com/story/biosante-cell-genesys-merger-will-provide-cash-phase-iii/2009-08-10|accessdate=7 May 2015|publisher=Fierce Biotech|date=10 August 2009}}</ref> In 2013 BioSante sold the GVAx program to Aduro Biotech, a company based in Berkeley, California.<ref>{{cite news|title=Aduro announces acquisition of GVAX assets from BioSante|url=http://investors.aduro.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=242043&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2025673|accessdate=7 May 2015|publisher=Aduro Biotech|date=4 February 2013|archive-date=24 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024085510/http://investors.aduro.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=242043&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2025673|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2020 Aduro Biotech merged with Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. to form Chinook Therapeutics.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chinook Therapeutics Closes Merger with Aduro Biotech and Completes $115 Million Private Placement Financing {{!}} Chinook Therapeutics, Inc.|url=https://investors.chinooktx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/chinook-therapeutics-closes-merger-aduro-biotech-and-completes|access-date=2021-01-26|website=investors.chinooktx.com|language=en}}</ref>
== Current development ==
Aduro Biotech is currently in Phase II with GVAX in pancreatic cancer, where the company is also trialing a combination of GVAX with a PD-1 inhibitor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aduro Biotech pipeline|url=http://www.aduro.com/pipeline/|accessdate=7 May 2015|archive-date=7 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507210438/http://www.aduro.com/pipeline/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist|2}}
Category:Experimental cancer drugs