On October 8, 2003, the Food and Drug Administration notified NewLink Genetics that we may proceed with clinical trials studying HyperAcute® Lung Cancer Vaccine in patients with lung cancer.  Patient enrollment at the National Cancer Institute was opened in January 2004.  Phase I of the clinical trial is completed and currently, we are enrolling patients in Phase-II clinical trials at various medical centers. 

For details about this study, please contact the clinical research coordinator

Click here for eligibility criteria and study specifics.

It was estimated that there were over 172,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the United States in 2005 and that 163,000 patients died from this group of diseases.  Non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer are the 2 types of cancer that commonly arise from lung tissue.  Almost 90% of all lung cancers are the non-small cell lung cancer type (NSCLC) group.  Within the larger group of NSCLC disease, there are multiple types of non-small cell lung cancer.  Each type of non-small lung cancer has different kind of cancer cells.  The cancer cells of each type grow and spread in different ways.  NSCLC develops primarily as one of the following types: Adenocarcinoma (~47%); Squamous cell carcinoma (~35%); Large cell carcinoma (~18%).  The likelihood of recovery and the available treatment options may be determined by: 1) Whether the cancer has spread beyond the site of the original tumor, either within the lung or to other parts of the body; 2) Tumor size; 3) The specific type of lung cancer; 4) The extent of patient symptoms; and 5) The overall medical condition of the patient.  NSCLC is a very serious disease and, despite recent progress, current treatments are rarely able to provide a cure.

Additional information about lung cancer can be found at the American Cancer Society website.  Additional information about clinical trials for treatment of lung cancer can be found at the National Cancer Institute.