I wish I could say I never heard of Dendreon (DNDN) before today, but a reader was good enough to email me about this stock not even a month ago in the $3s. As a general rule, except for some of the really huge biotech stocks, I stay away from these type of names – the stock market is difficult as it is, and small cap biotech stocks make the normal stock market gambling look like child’s play. Of course after today’s news I wish I had investigated further. Outside of the stock reaction, it is hopefully a promising new turn in medicine.

Reuters – Dendreon Cancer Vaccine Works

An experimental medicine from Dendreon Corp improved survival in men with advanced …

Taplmmune, Inc. (TPIM.OB) is a developer of new innovative therapeutics and vaccines in the oncology and infectious disease areas. The company’s therapeutics and vaccines are based on technologies that utilize transporters associated with Antigen Processing (TAP). TAP therapy offers improvements in efficacy as well as reduced side effects and a boost in body defenses.

Teplmmune’s TAP cancer vaccine primarily moves antigens to the surface of cells and restores TAP proteins and the immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells. The TAP molecule has also shown abilities to enhance the potency of vaccines against infectious diseases.

Taplmmune’s TAP has already been through clinical studies and has proven several forms of cancer that are deficient to the vaccine. Some cancers deficient to the vaccine include melanoma, colon, cervical, lung, prostate, breast and ovarian. The company began their preclinical testing of TAP in 2007, and is currently