A Phase I/II safety and tolerability study in 18 male patients with non-metastatic as well as hormone-insensitive prostate cancer has begun enrolment in the US. Secondary objectives of the trial include examining the ability of the vaccine to induce prostate antigen-specific immune responses, as well as clinical anti-tumour activity. Preliminary data is expected during second half year 2009.

The therapeutic vaccine, based on the Company's MVA-BN(R) technology, is designed to generate cellular and humoral immune responses to PSA and PAP (prostate specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase), which are both well-known prostate cancer tumour targets.

Prostate cancer is, along with breast cancer, in the top three cancer market, each with more than 500,000 new diagnosed incidents globally per year and only limited treatment options.

Anders Hedegaard, President & CEO of Bavarian Nordic, commented:

"The initiation of clinical studies with our therapeutic prostate cancer vaccine advances our cancer portfolio and with both breast and prostate cancer vaccines in clinical development, we have now strengthened the cancer business area, which is an essential part of our strategy going forward."

bavarian-nordic

"But our new gadget paints a simple picture of how much you're drinking and how this changes over the course of weeks or months.

"Hopefully, it will help people to make informed decisions about how much alcohol they drink."

Along with smoking, alcohol causes the vast majority of mouth and food pipe cancers. In the last decade, mouth cancer has become much more common and this may be because of higher levels of drinking. Scientists have also estimated that alcohol causes about 2,000 cases of breast cancer in the UK every year.

To use Cancer Research UK's online drinking tracker visit Track your drinking and follow the simple instructions.

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