Sipuleucel-T (Provenge®)

Sipuleucel-T is a therapeutic vaccine developed to treat prostate cancer. A patient’s dendritic cells are isolated and pulsed with a peptide (PAP-GM-CSF fusion protein) derived from prostatic acid phosphatase. Then the modified dendritic cells are administered back to the patient. This vaccine was considered first-in-class as it was created to treat prostate cancer, whereas most vaccines are developed to build immunity to prevent disease. In the case of sipuleucel-T, the immune system is stimulated to attack the tumor and thereby prolong survival. Sipuleucel-T was developed as a result of a public-private partnership with partial government grant support (National Cooperative Drug Discovery Group headed by Dr. Ronald Levy) that fostered a collaborative research project between Stanford University (Dr. Edgar G. Engleman) and the Dendreon Corporation, Seattle, WA (Dr. Reiner Laus). Provenge received FDA approval on April 29, 2010.