Argos Therapeutics has developed a new immunotherapy technology that personalizes treatments to individual patients and does so in a more cost-effective manner than traditional methods.
Trials of the Arcelis technology have shown encouraging results, and could set Argos apart from other biotechnology cancer treatments.
Argos is preparing to trial the technology in late-stage kidney cancer patients, which would require new financing to the tune of around $50 million.
Combating Cancer from Within
Chief executive Jeff Abbey is engaged in talks with big pharmaceutical companies, who are reportedly interested in partnerships with Argos to develop and commercialize the technology.
Immunotherapy uses a patient’s own immune system to combat disease. The Arcelis technology takes a small sample from the patient’s cancerous cells and combines it with their dentritic cells, whose job it is to direct the immune system to the disease it needs to fight.
This method of personalized treatment induces the immune system to fight the cancer without exposing the patient to any foreign toxins.
Developments are also moving forward in applying the personalized immunotherapy technology for treatment of other diseases like HIV and complicated surgical procedures like renal and heart transplants.
Key Statistics - Cancer Immunotherapy Market (source: Datamonitor)
- Growth in the targeted therapies and immunotherapies market is expected to undergo steady growth through 2019.
- Combined sales figures are predicted to rise annually at a rate of close to 7% to reach nearly $37 billion in 2019, up from over $19 billion in 2009.
- Growth in the branded cancer therapies market will rise 3.5% annually from close to $41 billion in 2009 to over $57 billion in 2019.
Key Players - World Cancer Therapy
- Abraxis BioScience, Argos Therapies, Amgen, AstraZeneca PLC, Bayer Schering Pharma, Biogen Idec, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Celgene Corporation, Cell Therapeutics, Cephalon, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly and Company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Genentech, Genzyme, GlaxoSmithKline, Imclone Systems, Merck, Novartis AG, Ortho Biotech Products, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Schering Plough Corporation, Seattle Genetics, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, and Wyeth
