Immunotherapy in Children: Report from the Reisensburg-Symposium October 20-22, 2004[*] and Recent Advances

Abstract

Immunotherapy of childhood malignancies has a magic aura of promising an easy way to cure. It is not only the public, but also the medical community, which has caused this hope. Therefore, it was worthwhile to bring together a panel of experts working in the field of immunotherapy in order to discuss ongoing projects, and to show hopes and disappointments. The result was a fascinating symposium sponsored by The Kind Philipp Leukemia Foundation (Mönchengladbach, Germany). The symposium took place in the Reissensburg near Ulm (Germany) which gives the ideal location for such an event.

Zusammenfassung

Diskussionen über Immuntherapie von Krebserkrankungen bei Kindern waren von jeher umgeben von einer Aura der magischen Versprechung eines sanften Wegs zur Heilung. Die damit verbundenen, durchaus unrealistischen Hoffnungen wurden oft nicht nur von einer interessierten Öffentlichkeit, sondern auch von den wissenschaftlich auf diesem Gebiet arbeitenden Medizinern selbst geschürt. Es war daher sinnvoll, Experten auf diesem Gebiet zusammenzubringen und mit ihnen ihre Projekte, die begründeten Hoffnungen, aber auch die erlebten Enttäuschungen kritisch zu diskutieren. Es entstand ein faszinierendes Symposium, das durch die Kind-Philipp-Leukämie-Stiftung (Mönchengladbach, Deutschland) ermöglicht und finanziert wurde und in der Reisensburg nahe Ulm (Deutschland) seinen idealen Veranstaltungsort fand.

Key words

immunotherapy - children - clinical application - phase I/II studies

Schlüsselwörter

Immuntherapie - Kinder - klinische Erfahrungen - Phase-I und II-Studien

1 The Meeting was supported by a Grant of the Kind Philipp Foundation, Mönchengladbach, Germany

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1 The Meeting was supported by a Grant of the Kind Philipp Foundation, Mönchengladbach, Germany

2 Legally required testing provisions can be found, e. g., in the following documents: 1.) Annex I to Directive 2001/83/EC as amended by Directive 2003/63/EC 2.) European Note for guidance on the quality, preclinical and clinical aspects of gene transfer medicinal products (CPMP/BWP/3088/99) 3.) Points to consider document on the manufacture and quality control of human somatic cell therapy medicinal products published by the European Medicine Evaluation Agency, CPMP/BWP/41-450/98.