Genzyme Molecular Oncology Begins Kidney Cancer Vaccine Trial

FRAMINGHAM, Massachusetts—Genzyme Molecular Oncology has launched a phase I/II vaccine trial in advanced kidney cancer. The vaccine is made by combining the patient’s own cancer cells with dendritic cells using an electrical fusion approach. Up to 20 patients will be enrolled at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.

According to Genzyme, the cell fusion technology eliminates the need to identify specific tumor proteins because the technique uses the entire tumor cell to provide targets for the immune system to attack.