The trial will assess the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate in patients with solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer and prostate carcinoma.
Merck is developing the vaccine candidate under a July 2005 research, development and commercialization license agreement with Geron that provided Merck with exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize non–dendritic cell based vaccines targeting telomerase.
Thomas Okarma, Geron’s president and CEO, said: “We are pleased that Merck has advanced this cancer vaccine candidate into the clinic. We appreciate the collaborative nature of our relationship with Merck and look forward to working with them to realize the potential of this therapy.”