Intravenous Cancer Drug
(IN PHOTO) Cancer patient Stew Scannell receives an intravenous dose of Lambrolizumab during a promising cancer treatment clinical trial at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California August 19, 2013. When Scannell was first diagnosed with brain metastases and an incurable melanoma, he was not expected to live long. Now he flies to Los Angeles from his home in Oklahoma every three weeks for injections of the drug Lambrolizumab, or MK-3475, from which he says he feels no negative side effects. He adds that the drug appears to help his body's immune system fight off his cancer cells, and testing indicates a significant reduction in the number and size of his cancers. He is now continuing to work and is helping some of his colleagues rebuild after their losses in the Oklahoma tornadoes earlier this year. Reuters

Immunotherapy is the latest cancer cure that’s gaining favorable nods from doctors, patients, and even investors. Some call it “miraculous,” while an HBO documentary focusing on the cure described it as the human race’s closest step to curing cancer. Because of this, Seattle-based Immune Design Corp., aims to raise $60 million to further expand their research on the highly effective cure.

According to a report by Seattle’s Biz Journals, Immune Design Corp. (NASDAQ:IMDZ) is offering its common stock to those who want to get into the immunotherapy business. The immunotherapy cure investment field is increasing rapidly, attracting startup companies to begin their own research projects to get into the game. However, developing treatments cost a lot of money and time, which is a common challenge among younger companies in the space.

Immune Design was already able to raise $60 million in an IPO last year after going public in July 2014. On Tuesday, the company’s stock traded at $24 per share. The reason behind Immune Design’s goal to raise another $60 million is to pay for further research and development, clinical trials and to jumpstart its manufacturing process. Immune Design believes that its net proceeds will shoot to $65 million at $24.64 per share.

Immunotherapy treatments stimulate the immune system to allow the body to fight cancer from within through vaccines. Immunotherapy is a cancer cure particularly celebrated by doctors because it is natural, and it does not give patients the ill side effects of chemotherapy.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Immune Design is only one of many emerging companies developing immunotherapy treatments. Another notable company in the space is California-based Nascent Biotech (OTC:NBIO), which has developed a natural antibody called Pritumumab.

According to Nascent Biotech’s Web site, Pritumumab was derived using a proprietary technology from a B-cell isolated from a tumour-draining lymph node of a patient with cervical cancer. So far, the results have been affirmative, with terminal patients living beyond five years, following diagnosis and treatment.

Newswise reports that The Ludwig Cancer Research in New York released a statement on April 14 stating that they are ready to present advancements in immunotherapy at the 2015 AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) Annual Meeting. The event will take place on April 18 to 22 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The biotech sector of the stock market has always been trending, and now, immunotherapies are getting most of the attention. In a report by Forbes, long-time immunotherapy investor, Brad Loncar, started an immunotherapy stock index called “Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy Index,” that tracks the performance of 25 biotech companies. Companies in the index include Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kite Pharma, and Juno Therapeutics.

With this stock index, Loncar aims to attract more investors in the field by bringing much-needed focus on the subsector. “I want to repackage biotech in a way that ordinary people can understand it,” said Loncar to Forbes.

To contact the writer, email: v.hernandez@ibtimes.com.au

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