Why is telomerase special?
Dr. Vieweg: Telomerase is an enzyme that is produced in abundance by cancer cells. By developing a vaccine that targets this enzyme, we were able to induce killer T-cells in the patient’s bloodstream to recognize and attack tumors. The beauty surrounding the concept of cancer vaccines is that killer T-cells bind and kill tumor cells with pinpoint accuracy. They exert an anti-tumor effect without causing the toxic effects you get with chemotherapy or radiation. Aside from some skin reddening or some flu-like symptoms, none of our patients had any problems even after prolonged vaccination. These therapeutic cancer vaccines are administered as an out-patient treatment. Patients come in every two weeks and they can do whatever they want in between their visits. There are no restrictions. Once we can show that we have a clinical impact with this vaccine, I think this field will mushroom because, as I said, toxicity with these vaccines is almost non-existent. If this works, it is a great thi
