For us it would be in the area of vaccines first.
The approval of the first cancer therapeutic vaccine from Dendreon in prostate cancer establishes the concept that immunotherapy is a conceptually achievable and clinically useful approach for treating cancer. This allows us and others to develop novel concepts of immunotherapy for cancer.
On another vein is the approval of GlaxoSmithKline’s human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine both for the continued demonstration of the importance of infectious disease-related cancer and the ability to intervene with a vaccine to prevent such a cancer. The GSK HPV vaccine also includes the first novel adjuvant in a vaccine in the U.S. in the last 30 years and thus allowing the ability of novel adjuvants to enhance immune responses for candidate cancer vaccines or vaccines that are directed at infections in the elderly.
Lastly is the discussion of the complexities that rapid emergence of resistance to cancer therapies is being increasingly noted. There is an ongoing discussion about allowing combination chemotherapy to be utilized early on in the clinical development pathway of cancer therapies as well as complex infectious diseases such as multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.
[Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of posts from Xconomists and other technology and life sciences leaders from around the U.S. who are weighing in with the top surprises they’ve seen in their respective fields in the past year, or the major things to watch for in 2011.]
Author: Larry Corey
Larry Corey is the president and director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Previously, he served as head of the University of Washington’s Virology Division and Co-Director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute. He is also a Professor of Medicine and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Washington. In 1999, Dr. Corey was selected by the National Institutes of Health to lead the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. Research in Dr. Corey’s laboratories includes studies dealing with the pathogenesis, prevention and treatment of HIV and herpes virus infections. These investigations include development of vaccines for both genital herpes and HIV. His labs have also pioneered novel tests for diagnosing and monitoring therapies for viral infections. In addition, Dr. Corey is an infectious disease attending physician at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Dr. Corey is a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, American Epidemiological Society and Association of American Physicians. He is the recipient of the Pan American Society Clinical Virology Award, the American Society for STD Research Parran Award, and the University of Michigan Medical School Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Infectious Diseases Society of America Ender’s Award.
Dr. Corey received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. He received his infectious diseases training at the University of Washington.
Dr. Corey has authored over 600 publications on infectious disease topics. In addition, as an editorial board member, he has reviewed numerous scientific journals and proceedings.
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