Provenge was approved by FDA and maybe the EMA …but I don’t think it was approved by MHRA(?) …
However, the story of Provenge is relevant on several points: ☑️ need for automation ☑️ range of antigens ☑️ need for combo agents
The earlier dendritic cell technology is interesting and enlightening (looking back from our perspective today in 2025). DC technology has advanced significantly, manufacturing technology continues to advance, and we now have checkpoint inhibitors and other agents to consider in ⭐️COMBO⭐️ with next-generation DC platforms like those currently being developed at UCLA and Roswell Park in 2025.
Checkpoint blockade technology has only been commercially available for just over a decade (also based on Nobel Prize-winning research), and it represents a key piece of the puzzle 🧩 that is just now coming to light as combo research begins to gain momentum at UCLA and Roswell Park. This fall will mark 14 years since the death of Dr. Ralph Steinman to whom the world owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude. Thankfully, brilliant physicians such as Dr. Liau and Dr. Kalinski have built upon Steinman’s Nobel Prize-winning work to develop novel platform technologies and combo therapies that have only recently reached PII clinical investigation.
The development of dendritic cell technology has accelerated dramatically in recent years. In the second half of the YouTube video, Dr. Steinman spoke about the “first generation” of DC vaccines that targeted only one antigen—limiting its effectiveness. His vision & invaluable work laid the foundation for more advanced platforms, including DCVax-L, DCVax-Direct, & Roswell Park’s DC platform.
Today, for example, DCVax-L can present hundreds of personalized antigens!