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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549


FORM 10-Q


     
þ
  QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2005

or

     
o
  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from            to

Commission File Number:

000-50425


Genitope Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
     
Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  77-0436313
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

525 Penobscot Drive
Redwood City, CA 94063

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(650) 482-2000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes þ No o

As of April 29, 2005, 28,245,309 shares of common stock of Genitope Corporation were outstanding.

 
 

 


GENITOPE CORPORATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

         
       
       
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 EXHIBIT 10.1
 EXHIBIT 31.1
 EXHIBIT 31.2
 EXHIBIT 32.1

     The terms “Genitope,” “we,” “us” and “our” as used in this report refer to Genitope Corporation.

     Genitope® Corporation, Hi-GET® gene amplification technology, our logo and MyVax® personalized immunotherapy are our registered house mark and trademarks. This report includes other service marks, trademarks and trade names of other companies such as Rituxan® anti-CD20 antibody.

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM I. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

GENITOPE CORPORATION
(A DEVELOPMENT STAGE ENTERPRISE)

UNAUDITED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except per share and share data)
                 
    March 31,     December 31,  
    2005     2004  
ASSETS
Current assets:
               
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 64,606     $ 60,087  
Marketable securities
    44,794       56,422  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
    1,159       1,101  
 
           
Total current assets
    110,559       117,610  
Property and equipment, net
    2,357       2,196  
Other assets
    111       59  
 
           
Total assets
  $ 113,027     $ 119,865  
 
           
 
               
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
               
Accounts payable
  $ 1,394     $ 2,073  
Accrued and other current liabilities
    2,245       1,502  
Current lease obligations
    39       46  
 
           
Total current liabilities
    3,678       3,621  
Noncurrent lease obligations
    42       48  
 
           
Total liabilities
    3,720       3,669  
 
           
Stockholders’ equity:
               
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 65,000,000 shares authorized; Issued and outstanding: 28,195,872 shares at March 31, 2005 and 28,191,145 shares at December 31, 2004
    28       28  
Additional paid-in capital
    231,746       231,784  
Deferred stock compensation
    (542 )     (733 )
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
    (140 )     (94 )
Deficit accumulated during the development stage
    (121,785 )     (114,789 )
 
           
Total stockholders’ equity
    109,307       116,196  
 
           
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
  $ 113,027     $ 119,865  
 
           

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements.

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GENITOPE CORPORATION
(A DEVELOPMENT STAGE ENTERPRISE)

UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)
                         
                    Cumulative  
                    Period from  
                    August 15, 1996  
    Three Months Ended     (date of inception)  
    March 31,     to March 31,  
    2005     2004     2005  
Operating expenses:
                       
Research and development
  $ 5,883     $ 5,618     $ 80,949  
Sales and marketing
    475       514       5,198  
General and administrative
    1,274       582       13,858  
 
                 
Total operating expenses
    7,632       6,714       100,005  
 
                 
Loss from operations
    (7,632 )     (6,714 )     (100,005 )
 
                       
Loss on extinguishment of convertible notes and cancellation of Series E convertible preferred stock warrants
                (3,509 )
Interest expense
    (1 )     (1 )     (2,983 )
Interest and other income, net
    637       61       3,119  
 
                 
Net loss
    (6,996 )     (6,654 )     (103,378 )
 
                       
Dividend related to issuance of convertible preferred shares and the beneficial conversion feature of preferred stock
                (18,407 )
 
                 
Net loss attributable to common stockholders
  $ (6,996 )   $ (6,654 )   $ (121,785 )
 
                 
 
                       
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders
  $ (0.25 )   $ (0.40 )        
 
                   
 
                       
Shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders
    28,176       16,762          
 
                   

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements.

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GENITOPE CORPORATION
(A DEVELOPMENT STAGE ENTERPRISE)

UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
                         
                    Cumulative  
                    Period from  
                    August 15, 1996  
    Three Months Ended     (date of inception)  
    March 31,     to March 31,  
    2005     2004     2005  
Cash flows from operating activities:
                       
Net loss
  $ (6,996 )   $ (6,654 )   $ (103,378 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
                       
Depreciation and amortization
    244       185       4,660  
Loss on disposal of assets
                29  
Stock-based compensation expense
    157       270       4,861  
Loss on extinguishment of convertible notes and cancellation of convertible preferred stock warrants
                3,509  
Amortization of warrant issued to guarantor of the lines of credit
                1,933  
Interest expense on convertible notes
                892  
Common stock issued for services
                46  
Changes in assets and liabilities:
                       
Prepaids and other assets
    (107 )     68       (1,089 )
Accounts payable
    (595 )     (391 )     1,296  
Accrued and other current liabilities
    539       63       1,854  
 
                 
Net cash used in operating activities
    (6,758 )     (6,459 )     (85,387 )
 
                 
Cash flows from investing activities:
                       
Purchase of property and equipment
    (139 )     (54 )     (6,427 )
Purchase of marketable securities
    (75,970 )           (235,742 )
Sale of marketable securities
    14,176             36,349  
Maturities of marketable securities
    73,376             154,459  
Long term cash deposits
                (167 )
 
                 
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
    11,443       (54 )     (51,528 )
 
                 
Cash flows from financing activities:
                       
Net proceeds from issuance of convertible preferred stock
                47,392  
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock related to initial public offering
          (353 )     33,735  
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock related to follow-on public offering
                55,718  
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock related to private placement
    (160 )           57,260  
Borrowings under lines of credit
                8,786  
Repayment of borrowings under lines of credit
                (8,786 )
Proceeds from issuance of convertible notes and warrants
                6,060  
Proceeds from issuance of common stock under stock plans
    7       39       1,255  
Proceeds from exercise of Series D warrants
                135  
Repurchase of unvested common stock
          (50 )     (83 )
Proceeds from note receivable from stockholder
                102  
Principal payments on capital lease obligations
    (13 )     (9 )     (53 )
 
                 
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities
    (166 )     (373 )     201,521  
 
                 
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    4,519       (6,886 )     64,606  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
    60,087       29,790        
 
                 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
  $ 64,606     $ 22,904     $ 64,606  
 
                 
Supplemental disclosure:
                       
Cash paid for interest
  $ 1     $     $ 151  
Supplemental schedule of noncash investing and financing activities:
                       
Conversion of preferred stock to common stock
  $     $     $ 53,570  
Dividend related to issuance of convertible preferred shares and the beneficial conversion feature of preferred stock
  $     $     $ 18,407  
Discount on convertible notes for beneficial conversion feature of preferred stock and warrants
  $     $     $ 4,280  
Conversion of convertible notes into convertible preferred stock
  $     $     $ (4,280 )
Warrants issued to guarantor of the lines of credit
  $     $     $ 1,933  
Warrants issued in connection with services related to convertible preferred stock
  $     $     $ 144  
Accrued interest converted in convertible preferred stock
  $     $     $ 121  
Convertible preferred stock issued in exchange for note receivable from stockholder
  $     $     $ 5  
Conversion of notes payable to preferred stock
  $     $     $ 1,780  
Accrued offering costs for issuance of common stock related to private placement
  $ (146 )   $     $ 4  
Acquisition of property and equipment under capital leases
  $     $     $ 134  
Accrued cost for acqusition of property and equipment
  $ 266     $     $ 485  
Receivable from issuance of common stock under stock plan
  $ 3     $     $ 14  
Unrealized losses on marketable securities
  $ (46 )   $     $ (140 )

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements.

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GENITOPE CORPORATION
(A DEVELOPMENT STAGE ENTERPRISE)

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization and Business

     Genitope Corporation is a development stage enterprise focused on the research and development of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Immunotherapies are treatments that utilize the immune system to combat diseases. Our lead product candidate, MyVax Personalized Immunotherapy, is a patient-specific active immunotherapy that is based on the unique genetic makeup of a patient’s tumor and is designed to activate a patient’s immune system to identify and attack cancer cells. MyVax is currently in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial and additional Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (“NHL”). We were incorporated in the State of Delaware on August 15, 1996 and have incurred significant losses since our inception.

Basis of Presentation

     The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete financial statements. The unaudited interim financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments necessary for the fair statement of the financial statements, have been included. The results of operations of any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the full year or any other interim period. Further, the preparation of condensed financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the recorded amounts reported therein. Actual results could differ from those estimates. A change in facts or circumstances surrounding the estimate could result in a change to estimates and impact future operating results.

     The financial statements and related disclosures have been prepared with the presumption that users of the interim financial statements have read or have access to the audited financial statements for the preceding fiscal year. Accordingly, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2004 included in our Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Liquidity

     We have not generated any revenues to date, and we have financed our operations and internal growth through private placements of common and preferred stock, our lines of credit, our public offerings of common stock, and interest income earned from our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. We are a development stage enterprise and have incurred significant losses since our inception in 1996 as we have devoted substantially all of our efforts to research and development activities, including clinical trials. As of March 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $121.8 million. As of March 31, 2005, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $109.4 million.

Stock-based compensation

     We account for stock-based employee compensation arrangements in accordance with provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” (“APB 25”) and comply with the disclosure provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation” (“SFAS No. 123”), as amended by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 148 “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, Transition and Disclosure” (“SFAS No. 148”). Under APB 25, unearned stock compensation is based on the difference, if any, on the date of grant, between the deemed fair value of our common stock and the exercise price of stock option grants to employees.

     We account for equity instruments issued to non-employees in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123 and Emerging Issues Task Force No. 96-18, “Accounting for Equity Instruments That Are Issued to Other Than Employees for Acquiring, or in Conjunction with Selling, Goods or Services” (“EITF 96-18”). The equity instruments, consisting of stock options, are valued using the Black-Scholes Model. All unvested shares are marked to market until such options vest.

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     All stock compensation is amortized and expensed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. 28, “Accounting for Stock Appreciation Rights and Other Variable Stock Option or Award Plans: an Interpretation of APB Opinions No. 15 and 25,” (“FIN 28”). We are amortizing stock compensation to expense over the period during which the periods vest, generally four years, using an accelerated vesting model consistent with FIN 28. Amortization of stock-based compensation for employees and non-employees is as follows (in thousands):

                 
    Three Months Ended  
    March 31,  
    2005     2004  
Amortization of stock-based compensation:
               
Research and development
  $ 90     $ 275  
Sales and marketing
    19       46  
General and administration
    48       (51 )
 
           
 
  $ 157     $ 270  
 
           

     Amortization of stock-based compensation will be reduced in future periods to the extent options are terminated prior to full vesting.

     The determination of the fair value of each option and employee purchase right has been estimated at the date of grant, using the Black-Scholes Model, assuming the following weighted-average assumptions:

                                 
    Employee Stock     Employee Stock  
    Options     Purchase Plan  
    For the Three     For the Three  
    Months Ended     Months Ended  
    March 31,     March 31,  
    2005     2004     2005     2004  
Average risk-free interest rates
    3.70 %     2.70 %     1.51 %     N/A  
Average expected life (in years)
    4.00       4.00       0.90       N/A  
Dividend yield
    0 %     0 %     0 %     N/A  
Volatility
    66 %     80 %     61 %     N/A  

     Had compensation cost for our stock-based compensation plan been determined based on the fair value at the grant date of the awards consistent with the provisions of SFAS No. 123, as amended by SFAS 148, our net loss would have been increased to the amounts below (in thousands, except per share data):

                 
    Three Months Ended  
    March 31,  
    2005     2004  
Net loss attributable to common stockholders, as reported
  $ (6,996 )   $ (6,654 )
Add: Employee stock-based compensation included in reported net earnings
    141       270  
Deduct: Employee total stock-based compensation determined under fair value method
    (1,571 )     (578 )
 
           
Adjusted net loss attributable to common stockholders
  $ (8,426 )   $ (6,962 )
 
           
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders:
               
As reported
  $ (0.25 )   $ (0.40 )
 
           
Adjusted
  $ (0.30 )   $ (0.42 )
 
           

     The resulting effect on net loss attributable to common stockholders and net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is not likely to be representative of the effects in future periods, due to subsequent periods including additional grants and periods of vesting.

Recent accounting pronouncements

     In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment — An Amendment of FASB Statements No. 123 and 95” (“SFAS 123R”). The new pronouncement replaces the existing requirements under SFAS 123 and APB 25. According to SFAS

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123R, all forms of share-based payments to employees, including employee stock options and employee stock purchase plans, would be treated the same as any other form of compensation by recognizing the related cost in the statement of operations. This pronouncement eliminates the ability to account for stock-based compensation transactions using APB 25 and generally requires that such transactions be accounted for using a fair-value based method. The statement requires companies to assess the most appropriate model to calculate the value of the options. We currently use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value options and are currently assessing which model we may use in the future under the new statement and may deem an alternative model to be the most appropriate. The use of a different model to value options may result in a different fair value than the use of the Black-Scholes option pricing model. In addition, there are a number of other requirements under the new standard that would result in differing accounting treatment than currently required. These differences include, but are not limited to, the accounting for the tax benefit on employee stock options and for stock issued under our employee stock purchase plan, and the presentation of these tax benefits within the statement of cash flows. In addition to the appropriate fair value model to be used for valuing share-based payments, we will also be required to determine the transition method to be used at date of adoption. The allowed transition methods include prospective and retroactive adoption options. The prospective method requires that compensation expense be recorded for all unvested stock options and restricted stock at the beginning of the first quarter of adoption of SFAS 123R, while the retroactive methods would record compensation expense for all unvested stock options and restricted stock beginning with the first period restated.

     In April 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the adoption of a new rule that amends the effective date of SFAS 123R. The effective date of the new standard under these new rules for our financial statements is January 1, 2006. Adoption of this statement could have a significant impact on our financial statements as we will be required to expense the fair value of our stock option grants and stock purchases under our employee stock purchase plan (“ESPP”) rather than disclose the impact on our net loss within our footnotes, as is our current practice. The impact of adoption of SFAS 123R cannot be predicted at this time because it will depend on levels of share-based payments granted in the future. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of this standard on our financial statements.

Comprehensive loss

     Comprehensive loss is comprised of net loss and changes in unrealized gains/losses on available-for-sale securities. There were no material differences between net loss and comprehensive loss for all periods presented.

NOTE 2. NET LOSS PER SHARE

     Basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is calculated based on the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period excluding those shares that are subject to repurchase. Diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders should give effect to the dilutive effect of potential issuances of common stock consisting of stock options, stock issuable under our ESPP, warrants, and common stock subject to repurchase. However, all potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the diluted net loss per share computations as they have an antidilutive effect due to our net loss.

     A reconciliation of shares used in the calculation is as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts):

                 
    Three Months Ended  
    March 31,  
    2005     2004  
Numerator:
               
Net loss attributable to common stockholders
  $ (6,996 )   $ (6,654 )
 
           
Denominator:
               
Weighted average common shares outstanding
    28,193       16,820  
Less: Weighted average unvested common shares subject to repurchase
    (17 )     (58 )
 
           
 
               
Denominator for basic and diluted calculations
    28,176       16,762  
 
           
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders
  $ (0.25 )   $ (0.40 )
 
           

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     The following outstanding stock options, shares issuable under our ESPP, warrants, and common stock subject to repurchase were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders as they had an antidilutive effect (in thousands):

                 
    As of March 31,  
    2005     2004  
Shares issuable upon exercise of stock options
    2,033       970  
Shares issuable upon exercise of warrants
    267       270  
Shares issuable related to ESPP
    11        
Common stock subject to repurchase
    16       32  
 
           
 
    2,327       1,272  
 
           

NOTE 3. MARKETABLE SECURITIES

     As of March 31, 2005, all of our investments are classified as short-term, as we have classified our investments as available for sale and may not hold our investments until maturity. The following is a summary of our available-for-sale marketable securities as of March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004 (in thousands):

                                 
    As of March 31, 2005  
            Gross     Gross        
    Amortized     Unrealized     Unrealized        
    Cost     Gains     Losses     Fair Value  
Maturing within one year:
                               
Corporate bonds
  $ 28,463     $ 11     $ (65 )   $ 28,409  
U.S. government and agency securities
    16,471             (86 )     16,385  
 
                       
Total available-for-sale marketable securities
  $ 44,934     $ 11     $ (151 )   $ 44,794  
 
                       
                                 
    As of December 31, 2004  
            Gross     Gross        
    Amortized     Unrealized     Unrealized        
    Cost     Gains     Losses     Fair Value  
Maturing within one year:
                               
Commercial paper
  $ 990     $     $     $ 990  
 
                           
Corporate bonds
    33,249       3       (46 )     33,206  
U.S. government and agency securities
    16,324             (21 )     16,303  
 
                       
 
    50,563       3       (67 )     50,499  
 
                               
Maturing between one and two years:
                               
U.S. government and agency securities
    5,953             (30 )     5,923  
 
                       
 
                               
Total available-for-sale marketable securities
  $ 56,516     $ 3     $ (97 )   $ 56,422  
 
                       

NOTE 4. ACCRUED AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES

     Accrued and other current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):

                 
    March     December  
    31, 2005     31, 2004  
Accrued compensation and benefits
  $ 1,242     $ 430  
Professional fees
    446       674  
Clinical trials
    319       225  
Other
    238       173  
 
           
 
  $ 2,245     $ 1,502  
 
           

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

     The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and notes to those statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-Q. The following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about our business and our industry, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry’s results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied in, or contemplated by, the forward-looking statements. Words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions, identify forward-looking statements. Our actual results and the timing of events may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include those discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” below, as well as those discussed elsewhere in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q.

Overview

     We are a biotechnology company focused on the research and development of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Immunotherapies are treatments that utilize the immune system to combat diseases. Our lead product candidate, MyVax® personalized immunotherapy, is a patient-specific active immunotherapy that is based on the unique genetic makeup of a patient’s tumor and is designed to activate a patient’s immune system to identify and attack cancer cells. MyVax is currently in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial and additional Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or B-cell NHL. B-cells, also called B lymphocytes, are one of the two major classes of lymphocytes, which are types of white blood cells. In the United States, B-cell NHL represents approximately 85% to 90% of over 300,000 existing and approximately 55,000 newly diagnosed NHL patients each year. NHL is clinically classified as either slow-growing, referred to as indolent, or fast-growing, referred to as aggressive. There are approximately 25,000 patients diagnosed with indolent B-cell NHL in the United States each year. Our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial is designed for the treatment of follicular B-cell NHL, which represents approximately half of the cases of indolent B-cell NHL. Results from our completed and ongoing clinical trials of MyVax for the treatment of B-cell NHL indicate that MyVax is generally safe and well tolerated. We believe that patient-specific active immunotherapies can also be applied successfully to the treatment of other cancers. As a result, we are also developing MyVax for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL.

     In November 2000, based on positive interim Phase 2 clinical trial results from our 9901 trial, we initiated a pivotal, double-blind, controlled Phase 3 clinical trial, our 2000#03 trial, to treat patients with follicular B-cell NHL. We believe that, if successful, the results of the trial will support our application for regulatory approval of MyVax for the treatment of follicular B-cell NHL. We completed patient registration, the process during which a patient is screened and a biopsy is taken to determine whether the patient is eligible to participate in the clinical trial, in April 2004. Our independent Data Safety Monitoring Board, or DSMB met on November 15, 2004 to review data in the clinical trial. After reviewing safety data for the entire Phase 3 clinical trial and blinded, preliminary immune response data for more than 100 of the initial patients immunized in the clinical trial, the DSMB noted no concerns and recommended that the trial continue as planned. We currently anticipate that the two planned interim analyses will be initiated late in the second quarter of 2005 and in approximately the second quarter of 2006, with the detailed follow-up period of the clinical trial scheduled to conclude in approximately the fourth quarter of 2007. The total research and development costs associated with and incurred for the development of MyVax for the treatment of B-cell NHL were $5.9 million and $5.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. From inception through March 31, 2005, the total research and development costs associated with and incurred for the development of MyVax for the treatment of B-cell NHL were approximately $80.9 million.

     We have not generated any revenues to date, and we have financed our operations and internal growth through private placements of common and preferred stock, our lines of credit, our public offerings of common stock, and interest income earned from our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. We are a development stage enterprise and have incurred significant losses since our inception in 1996 as we have devoted substantially all of our efforts to research and development activities, including clinical trials. As of March 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $121.8 million. As of March 31, 2005, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $109.4 million.

     We anticipate working on a number of long-term development projects which will involve experimental and unproven technology. The projects may require many years and substantial expenditures to complete and may ultimately be unsuccessful. We will need operating funds to continue our research and development activities and clinical trials, pursue regulatory approvals for our product candidates and build production, sales and marketing capabilities, as necessary.

     Even if we achieve positive interim results in our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial and receive regulatory approval for MyVax, including regulatory approval for a commercial scale manufacturing facility, we anticipate that the earliest we could realize product revenue is late in 2006. Until we can generate a sufficient amount of product revenue, if ever, we expect to finance future cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements, as well as through interest income earned on cash balances. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If

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adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our research and development programs or our commercialization efforts. Any additional equity financing may be dilutive to stockholders, and any additional debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants.

     Drug development in the United States is a process that includes several steps defined by the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. The FDA approval process for a new biologic or drug involves completion of preclinical studies and the submission of the results of these studies to the FDA, together with proposed clinical protocols, manufacturing information, analytical data and other information in an Investigational New Drug application, or IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. Clinical development typically involves three phases of study: Phase 1, 2 and 3. The most significant costs associated with clinical development are the Phase 3 clinical trials as they tend to be the longest and largest studies conducted during the drug development process. After completion of clinical trials, a New Drug application, or NDA, or a Biologics License application, or BLA, may be filed with the FDA. In responding to an NDA or a BLA, the FDA may grant marketing approval, request additional information or deny the application if it determines that the application does not provide an adequate basis for approval.

     The successful development of our drug candidates is highly uncertain. We cannot estimate with certainty or know the exact nature, timing or estimated costs of the efforts necessary to complete the development of MyVax or the date of completion of these development efforts. We anticipate that the earliest we could realize product revenues is 2006 and we cannot reasonably estimate when we may have material net cash inflows from sales of MyVax, if ever. We cannot estimate with certainty any of the foregoing due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing MyVax, including:

  •   the possibility of delays in the collection of clinical trial data and the uncertainty of the timing of the interim analyses of our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial;
 
  •   the uncertainty of clinical trial results;
 
  •   extensive governmental regulation, both foreign and domestic, for approval of new products; and
 
  •   the uncertainty related to the leasing and completion of construction and qualification of a commercial scale manufacturing facility.

     If we fail to complete the development of MyVax in a timely manner, it could have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial position and liquidity. In addition, any failure by us to obtain, or any delay in obtaining, regulatory approvals could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

     A further discussion of the risks and uncertainties associated with completing our projects on schedule, or at all, and certain consequences of failing to do so are set forth in the risk factors entitled “We will need substantial additional funding and may be unable to raise capital when needed, which would force us to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or commercialization efforts,” “We currently have no source of revenue and may never become profitable,” “If clinical trials of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, do not produce successful clinical trial results, we will be unable to commercialize these products” and “Our efforts to discover, develop and commercialize MyVax for indications other than follicular B-cell NHL are at an early stage and are subject to a high risk of failure,” as well as other risk factors. We expect to continue to incur net losses over the next several years as we continue our clinical development, apply for regulatory approvals, construct and qualify a commercial scale facility for the manufacture of MyVax, develop active immunotherapies for the treatment of CLL and T-cell NHL and potentially other forms of cancer, establish sales and marketing and distribution capabilities and expand our operations.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

     In December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment — An Amendment of FASB Statements No. 123 and 95” (“SFAS 123R”). The new pronouncement replaces the existing requirements under SFAS 123 and APB 25. According to SFAS 123R, all forms of share-based payments to employees, including employee stock options and employee stock purchase plans, would be treated the same as any other form of compensation by recognizing the related cost in the statement of operations. This pronouncement eliminates the ability to account for stock-based compensation transactions using APB 25 and generally requires that such transactions be accounted for using a fair-value based method. The statement requires companies to assess the most appropriate model to calculate the value of the options. We currently use the Black-Scholes option pricing model to value options and are currently assessing which model we may use in the future under the new statement and may deem an alternative model to be the most appropriate. The use of a different model to value options may result in a different fair value than the use of the Black-Scholes option pricing model. In addition, there are a number of other requirements under the new standard that would result in differing accounting treatment than currently required. These differences include, but are not limited to, the accounting for the tax benefit on employee stock options and for stock issued under our employee stock purchase plan, and the presentation of these tax benefits within the statement of cash flows. In addition to the appropriate fair value model to be used for valuing share-based payments, we will also be required to determine the transition method to be used at date of adoption. The allowed transition methods include prospective and

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retroactive adoption options. The prospective method requires that compensation expense be recorded for all unvested stock options and restricted stock at the beginning of the first quarter of adoption of SFAS 123R, while the retroactive methods would record compensation expense for all unvested stock options and restricted stock beginning with the first period restated.

     In April 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the adoption of a new rule that amends the effective date of SFAS 123R. The effective date of the new standard under these new rules for our financial statements is January 1, 2006. Adoption of this statement could have a significant impact on our financial statements as we will be required to expense the fair value of our stock option grants and stock purchases under our employee stock purchase plan rather than disclose the impact on our net loss within our footnotes, as is our current practice. The impact of adoption of SFAS 123R cannot be predicted at this time because it will depend on levels of share-based payments granted in the future. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of this standard on our financial statements.

Results of Operations

Research and development expenses

                         
    Three Months Ended        
    March 31,        
                    Percent  
in thousands (except percentages)   2005     2004     Change  
Staffing related
  $ 3,025       2,202       37 %
Clinical trial and manufacturing material costs
    1,659       2,095       (21 )%
Amortization of deferred stock-based compensation
    90       275       (67 )%
Facilities and other costs
    1,109       1,046       6 %
 
                   
 
                       
Total research and development expenses
  $ 5,883     $ 5,618       5 %
 
                   

     Research and development expenses represented approximately 77% and 84% of our total operating expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Research and development expenses include the personnel costs related to our development activities and clinical trial preparations, preclinical and clinical trial expenses, including costs related to registration, treatment and monitoring expenses, costs related to regulatory matters and the costs related to the development of our manufacturing process.

     Research and development expenses increased in the three months ended March 31, 2005, as compared to the same period in 2004, due primarily to higher staffing levels, of which $0.8 million was related to the hiring of manufacturing, process sciences and research executives. This increase was offset partially by decreased costs related to manufacturing materials and external testing of $0.3 million, resulting from the completion of patient registration in the second quarter of 2004 and a decrease in non-cash stock-based compensation expense of $0.2 million related to the cancellation of unvested stock options.

     We expect to devote substantial resources to research and development in future periods as we continue our development of MyVax and expect our research and development expenditures to increase during 2005 and subsequent years. Many factors can affect the cost and timing of our clinical trials, including inconclusive trial results requiring additional clinical trials, slow patient enrollment, adverse side effects among patients, insufficient supplies for our clinical trials and real or perceived lack of effectiveness or safety of our clinical trials. In addition, the development of our products will be subject to extensive governmental regulation. These and other factors make it difficult for us to accurately predict the timing and costs of further development and approval of our products.

     Sales and marketing expenses

                         
    Three Months Ended        
    March 31,     Percent  
in thousands (except percentages)   2005     2004     Change  
Staffing related
  $ 258     $ 115       124 %
Product advocacy costs
    115       302       (62 )%
Facilities and other costs
    102       97       5 %
 
                   
 
                       
Total sales and marketing expenses
  $ 475     $ 514       (8 )%
 
                   

     Sales and marketing expenses primarily consist of personnel costs and costs associated with outside marketing activities related to product support and awareness.

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     Sales and marketing expenses for the three months ended March 31,2005 were consistent with the same period in 2004. Significant changes between the two periods were primarily due to increased staffing costs of $0.2 million related to the hiring of additional staff. This was offset by decreased product advocacy costs related to clinical trial support and awareness and initiation of commercialization planning projects for MyVax due to timing of projects of $0.2 million. We expect sales and marketing spending to increase during 2005 and subsequent years as we prepare for the possible commercialization of MyVax for the treatment of B-cell NHL.

General and administrative expenses

                         
    Three Months Ended        
    March 31,     Percent  
in thousands (except percentages)   2005     2004     Change  
Staffing related
  $ 803     $ 322       149 %
Legal, professional fees and insurance
    279       215       30 %
Facilities and other costs
    192       45       327 %
 
                   
 
                       
Total general and administrative expenses
  $ 1,274     $ 582       119 %
 
                   

     General and administrative expenses consist primarily of costs of administrative personnel and related costs to support our organizational growth, as well as legal, accounting and other professional fees.

     General and administrative expenses increased in the three months ended March 31, 2005 as compared to the same period in 2004, due primarily to additional administrative expenses of approximately $0.7 million related to higher payroll-related costs, legal and professional fees and corporate insurance costs required to support the organizational growth of the company.

     We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase during 2005 as a result of additional administrative and infrastructure costs associated with being a public company, including costs associated with ongoing compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and potential implementation of new finance and accounting systems.

Interest Expense

     Interest expense for each of the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 was $1,000 and was related to expense incurred for our capital lease obligations.

Interest and Other Income, Net

                         
    March 31,     Percent  
in thousands (except percentages)   2005     2004     Change  
Interest and other income, net
  $ 637     $ 61       944 %

     Interest and other income, net for the three months ended March 31, 2005 was $0.6 million, as compared to $0.1 million for the same period in 2004. The increase from 2005 to 2004 was due to interest on higher average cash balances as a result of proceeds received from our follow-on offering in June 2004 and our private placement in December 2004.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

                 
    As of     As of  
    March 31,     December 31,  
(in thousands)   2005     2004  
Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities
  $ 109,400     $ 116,509  
 
           
                 
    Three months ended  
    March 31,  
Cash flows:   2005     2004  
Net cash used in operating activities
  $ (6,758 )   $ (6,459 )
 
           
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
    11,443       (54 )
 
           
Net cash used in financing activities
    (166 )     (373 )
 
           

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     As of March 31, 2005, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $109.4 million, compared to $116.5 million as of December 31, 2004.

     We have not generated any revenues to date, and we have financed our operations and internal growth through private placements of common and preferred stock, our lines of credit, our public offerings of common stock, and interest income earned from our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. We have incurred significant losses since our inception in 1996 and as of March 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $121.8 million. Our accumulated deficit resulted principally from our research and development activities associated with MyVax, including our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial and additional Phase 2 clinical trials, and several non-cash charges associated with our preferred stock financings. Included in our accumulated deficit is a non-cash dividend of $18.4 million related to our preferred stock financings in April and May 2003. Also, our accumulated deficit includes a non-cash charge of $3.5 million associated with the extinguishment of convertible notes and cancellation of the related warrants issued to preferred stockholders in August 2003 and $0.8 million of non-cash interest expense related to the amortization of the discount on the convertible notes. Additionally, there was non-cash interest expense of $1.9 million associated with the amortization of the warrant issued to the guarantor of our lines of credit. Through March 31, 2005, we had amortized and expensed non-cash stock-based compensation of $1.2 million.

     Net cash used in operating activities was $6.8 million and $6.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The increased use of cash in operations for 2005 compared to 2004 was primarily due to our continued research and development activities associated with MyVax for the treatment of B-cell NHL and higher cash usage for prepaids and other assets and accounts payable, offset partially by an increase in accrued liabilities, both of which were due to the timing of payments made to our vendors.

     Net cash provided by investing activities was $11.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005. Net cash used in investing activities was $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2004. During the three months ended March 31, 2005, we had maturities and sales of marketable securities of $87.5 million which were partially offset by purchases of $76.0 million of marketable securities. During the three months ended March 31, 2004, we did not have any marketable securities. Payments for capital expenditures, consisting of purchases of office and laboratory equipment and leasehold improvements to our facilities, were $0.1 million, for each of the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004. We expect our capital expenditures to increase in future years to support our development and commercialization efforts and the build out of our new commercial facility. In the future, net cash used by investing activities may fluctuate from period to period due to timing of payments for capital expenditures and maturities/sales and purchases of marketable securities.

     Net cash used in financing activities was $0.2 million and $0.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2005, we made payments of approximately $0.2 million related to offering costs from our recent private placement of common stock in December 2004. During the three months ended March 31, 2004, we made payments of $0.4 million related to offering costs from our initial public offering.

     As of March 31, 2005, we had contractual obligations related to operating and capital leases as follows (in thousands):

                                         
    Payments Due by Period  
            Less than     1 - 3     4 - 5     Beyond  
    Total     1 Year     Years     Years     5 Years  
Contractual obligations:
                                       
Non-cancelable operating lease obligations
  $ 844     $ 651     $ 193     $     $  
Capital lease obligations
    82       40       42              
 
                             
 
                                       
Total contractual obligations
  $ 926     $ 691     $ 235     $     $  
 
                             
 
                             

     Our long term commitments under operating leases shown above consist of payments relating to four real estate leases and subleases covering the 46,780 square feet of our present facility. These leases and subleases expire between January 2006 and November 2006.

     We anticipate working on a number of long-term development projects which will involve experimental and unproven technology. These projects may require many years and substantial expenditures to complete and may ultimately be unsuccessful. We will need operating funds to continue our research and development activities and clinical trials, pursue regulatory approvals and build production, sales and marketing capabilities, as necessary.

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     We believe that our current cash resources, together with the interest thereon, will provide us with sufficient financial resources to support our current operating plan for at least the next 12 months. Our forecast for the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary as a result of a number of factors, including the risk factors discussed in this report. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. We expect that our cash consumption will increase in 2005 as we anticipate an increase in operating expenses related to the growth of the company, as well as the build-out of our commercial manufacturing facility. We will need to raise additional funds to complete the construction and qualification of a commercial scale manufacturing facility and to commercialize MyVax if MyVax receives regulatory approval for the treatment of follicular B-cell NHL. A commercial scale manufacturing facility must be built and qualified and pass a pre-approval inspection from the appropriate regulatory agency prior to any regulatory approval for MyVax. We anticipate spending for a commercial scale manufacturing facility to begin in the second quarter of 2005. We estimate that the total cost of the facility, including related manufacturing equipment, could exceed $65 million.

     Even if we achieve positive interim results in our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial and receive regulatory approval for MyVax, including regulatory approval of our commercial scale manufacturing facility, we anticipate that the earliest we could realize product revenue is late in 2006. Until we can generate a sufficient amount of product revenue, if ever, we expect to finance future cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, corporate collaboration or licensing arrangements or other arrangements, as well as through interest income earned on cash balances. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. To the extent that we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience dilution, and any debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants. To the extent that we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish some rights to our technologies, MyVax or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our research or development programs or our commercialization efforts.

RISK FACTORS

     Any investment in our stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, before you decide whether to purchase our common stock. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties, not presently known to us, or that we currently see as immaterial, may also harm our business. If any of the following risks actually occurs or any of the additional risks not presently known to us occur, our business could be materially harmed and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Business

If clinical trials of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, do not produce successful clinical trial results, we will be unable to commercialize these products.

     To receive regulatory approval for the commercial sale of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, we must conduct, at our own expense, extensive clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy in humans. Clinical testing is expensive, can take many years and has an uncertain outcome. Failure can occur at any stage of the testing. We may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, the testing process that could delay or prevent commercialization of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, including the following:

•   our clinical trials may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical and/or preclinical testing;
 
•   safety and efficacy results attained in our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for MyVax may be less positive than the results obtained in our Phase 2 clinical trials for MyVax;
 
•   costs of our clinical trials may be greater than we currently anticipate;
 
•   after reviewing test results, we may abandon projects that we might have previously believed to be promising;
 
•   we, or regulators, may suspend or terminate our clinical trials if the participating patients are being exposed to unacceptable health risks; and
 
•   the effects of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, on patients may not be the desired effects or may include undesirable side effects or other characteristics that may delay or preclude regulatory approval or limit their commercial use if approved.

     Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful. For example, positive time to disease progression results in small scale Phase 2 clinical trials are not necessarily indicative of the time to disease progression results in larger Phase 3 clinical trials. Moreover, all preliminary clinical data reported from time to time prior to the release of final results of a trial regarding time to disease progression is not fully audited and has been taken from databases that have not been fully reconciled against medical records kept at the clinical sites or that may not include the most current information on patient disease progressions. The DSMB’s recommendation that we continue our ongoing pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for MyVax is not indicative of any results of the Phase 3 clinical trial, and failure can occur at any stage of testing. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry, including biotechnology companies, have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after

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promising results in earlier clinical trials. The data collected from our clinical trials may not be sufficient to support regulatory approval of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop. We do not know whether our existing or any future clinical trials will demonstrate safety and efficacy sufficiently to result in marketable products. Our failure to adequately demonstrate the safety and efficacy of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, will prevent receipt of regulatory approval and, ultimately, commercialization of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop. Furthermore, because we have devoted most of our resources to the development of MyVax, our lead product candidate, we are dependent on its success.

We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future.

     We are a development stage company with a limited operating history. We have focused primarily on conducting clinical trials and seeking regulatory approval for our lead product candidate, MyVax personalized immunotherapy, a patient-specific active immunotherapy that is based on the unique genetic makeup of a patient’s tumor and is designed to activate a patient’s immune system to identify and attack cancer cells. We have incurred losses in each year since our inception in 1996. Net losses were $7.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2005, $27.0 million in 2004, $48.9 million in 2003 and $19.9 million in 2002. As of March 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $121.8 million. These losses, among other things, have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital. We expect our research and development expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial and additional Phase 2 clinical trials for MyVax and any other clinical trials that we may initiate. In addition, subject to regulatory approval of MyVax, we expect to incur sales, marketing and manufacturing expenses, including expenses associated with the construction and qualification of a commercial scale manufacturing facility. As a result, we expect to continue to incur significant and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing immunotherapeutic drugs, we are unable to predict the extent of any future losses or when we will achieve or sustain product revenues or become profitable, if ever.

We currently have no source of revenue and may never become profitable.

     Our ability to become profitable depends upon our ability to generate revenue. To date, MyVax has not generated any revenue, and we do not know when or if MyVax will generate revenue. Our ability to generate revenue depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:

•   successfully complete our ongoing pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial for MyVax;
 
•   obtain regulatory approval for MyVax, including regulatory approval for our commercial scale manufacturing facility and process;
 
•   manufacture commercial quantities of MyVax at acceptable cost levels; and
 
•   successfully market and sell MyVax.

     We anticipate the earliest we could realize product revenue is late in 2006. We do not anticipate that we will achieve profitability for at least several years after generating revenues. If we are unable to generate sufficient revenue, we will not become profitable, and we may be unable to continue our operations.

We will need substantial additional funding and may be unable to raise capital when needed, which would force us to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or commercialization efforts.

     Developing patient-specific active immunotherapies, conducting clinical trials, establishing manufacturing facilities and marketing immunotherapies that we may develop is expensive. We will need to raise additional capital to:

•   fund our operations and clinical trials;
 
•   continue our research and development activities;
 
•   complete the construction and qualification of a commercial scale manufacturing facility; and
 
•   commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, if any such immunotherapies receive regulatory approval.

     We believe that our current cash resources, together with the interest thereon, will provide us with sufficient financial resources to support our current operating plan for at least the next 12 months. Our forecast of the period of time through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary as a result of a number of

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factors, including the risk factors discussed in this report. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. We will need to raise additional funds complete the construction and qualification of a commercial scale manufacturing facility and to commercialize MyVax if MyVax receives regulatory approval for the treatment of follicular B-cell NHL. A manufacturing facility must be built and qualified and pass a pre-approval inspection from the appropriate regulatory agency prior to any regulatory approval for MyVax.

     Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:

•   the cost and timing of leasing and completing the construction of a commercial scale manufacturing facility;
 
•   the rate of progress and magnitude and cost of our product development efforts and other research and development activities;
 
•   the costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
 
•   the costs and timing of regulatory approval;
 
•   the costs of establishing sales, marketing and distribution capabilities;
 
•   the success of the commercialization of MyVax;
 
•   the effect of competing technological and market developments; and
 
•   our ability to establish collaborative, licensing or other arrangements for the development, sale, marketing or distribution of our product candidates and the terms of those arrangements.

     Future capital requirements will also depend on the extent to which we acquire or invest in businesses, products and technologies, but we currently have no commitments or agreements relating to any of these types of transactions.

     Even if we achieve positive interim results in our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial and receive regulatory approval for MyVax, including regulatory approval of a commercial scale manufacturing facility, we anticipate the earliest we could realize product revenue is late in 2006. Until we can generate a sufficient amount of product revenue, if ever, we expect to finance future cash needs through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements, as well as through interest income earned on cash balances. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our research or development programs or our commercialization efforts.

We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     Our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of MyVax for the treatment of follicular B-cell NHL is being conducted at 34 treatment centers in the United States and Canada. We do not have the ability to independently conduct clinical trials for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, and we must rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, medical institutions, clinical investigators and contract laboratories to conduct our clinical trials. In addition, we rely on third-party couriers to transport patient tissue samples and MyVax. If any of our relationships with these contract research organizations, medical institutions, clinical investigators, contract laboratories or third-party couriers terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative third parties. If certain of these third parties, such as medical institutions, clinical investigators or contract laboratories, do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations, do not meet expected deadlines or need to be replaced, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

We rely on third parties to provide materials and services needed for the manufacture of MyVax. If these third parties do not adequately provide materials or fail to carry out their contractual duties or obligations, we may not be able to successfully manufacture of commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     We currently rely on third parties, such as vendors, suppliers and contract laboratories, to provide materials and services necessary for the manufacture and testing of MyVax. If any of our relationships with these vendors, suppliers or contract laboratories terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative third parties. If certain of these third parties do not successfully carry

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out their contractual duties or obligations, do not provide materials or services of suitable quality, we may experience delays in obtaining regulatory approval for or successfully commercializing MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

We have no experience manufacturing MyVax, or any other immunotherapies, for the number of patients and at a cost that would enable widespread commercial use.

     To date, we have only manufactured MyVax in quantities necessary to support our ongoing pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial and Phase 2 clinical trials for MyVax. We have no experience in manufacturing MyVax, or any other immunotherapies, for the number of patients and at a cost that would support commercial use. In addition, since no other company has manufactured an immunotherapeutic product for commercial sale, there are no precedents from which we could learn. To commercialize MyVax, we will need to construct and qualify a commercial scale manufacturing facility that meets current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, standards. In doing so, we may encounter problems with, among other things, controlling costs and quality control and assurance.

     If we cannot manufacture a sufficient supply of MyVax on acceptable terms, the commercialization of MyVax will be delayed or prevented.

We currently depend on single source suppliers for critical raw materials for manufacturing, as well as other components required for the administration of MyVax. The loss of these suppliers could delay our clinical trials or prevent or delay commercialization of MyVax.

     We currently depend on single source suppliers for critical raw materials used in MyVax and other components used in the manufacturing process and required for the administration of MyVax. In particular, manufacturing of MyVax requires KLH, a foreign carrier protein which is derived from a giant sea snail. We purchase KLH from biosyn Arzneimittel GmbH, or biosyn, a single source supplier. We have entered into a supply agreement with biosyn, dated December 9, 1998, pursuant to which biosyn has agreed to supply us with KLH. The supply agreement expires on December 9, 2005. Either party may terminate the supply agreement earlier upon a breach that is not cured within 60 days or other events relating to insolvency or bankruptcy. Biosyn is not contractually obligated to supply us with the amounts of KLH they have previously supplied. There may be no other supplier of KLH of suitable quality for our purposes, and there are significant risks associated with our ability to produce KLH of suitable quality ourselves. Even if we identify another supplier of KLH, or produce KLH ourselves, we will not be able to use the alternative source of KLH for the commercial manufacture of MyVax unless the KLH is found to be comparable to the existing KLH. Any inability to obtain a sufficient supply of KLH of suitable quality from biosyn or an alternate supplier, or produce such KLH ourselves, could delay completion of our clinical trials and commercialization of MyVax.

     In addition, we currently purchase specialized cell culture containers, which are critical components of our manufacturing process, from Medtronic, Inc., a single source supplier. We do not have a long-term contract with Medtronic and rely on purchase orders to obtain the necessary cell culture containers. To date, Medtronic has met our requirements for our clinical trials. There are, in general, few alternative sources of supply for the cell culture containers.

     Administration of MyVax requires an adjuvant to enhance the immune response. We use Leukine sargramostim, a commercially available recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor known as GM-CSF, as an adjuvant for MyVax. An adjuvant is a substance that is administered with an antigen to enhance or increase the immune response to that antigen. We currently rely on purchase orders to purchase GM-CSF from Berlex Laboratories, Inc. We do not have a long-term contract with Berlex. GM-CSF is not commercially available from other sources in the United States or Canada.

     Establishing additional or replacement suppliers for these materials or components may take a substantial amount of time. In addition, we may have difficulty obtaining similar materials from other suppliers that are acceptable to the FDA. If we have to switch to a replacement supplier, we may face additional regulatory delays and the manufacture and delivery of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, could be interrupted for an extended period of time, which may delay completion of our clinical trials or commercialization of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop. If we are unable to obtain adequate amounts of these materials, our clinical trials will be delayed. In addition, we will be required to obtain regulatory clearance from the FDA to use different materials that may not be as safe or as effective. As a result, regulatory approval of MyVax may not be received at all.

Because it is difficult and costly to protect our proprietary rights, we may not be able to ensure their protection.

     Our commercial success will depend in part on obtaining and maintaining patent protection and trade secret protection of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, and the methods we employ to manufacture them, as well as successfully defending these patents against third-party challenges. We will only be able to protect our technologies from unauthorized use by third parties to the extent that valid and enforceable patents or trade secrets cover them.

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     As of March 31, 2005, we held two United States patents covering our core gene amplification technology, including composition of matter claims directed to cell lines and claims directed to methods of making proteins derived from patients’ tumors. These patents expire in 2016.

     Corresponding patents, although more constrained in scope due to rules not applicable in the United States, have been issued in South Africa, Canada and Australia, all of which expire in 2017. We have also filed additional United States and corresponding foreign patent applications relating to our Hi-GET gene amplification technology. We expect to continue to file additional patent applications.

     The patent positions of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies can be highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions for which important legal principles remain unresolved. No consistent policy regarding the breadth of claims allowed in biotechnology patents has emerged to date in the United States. The biotechnology patent situation outside the United States is even more uncertain. Changes in either the patent laws or in interpretations of patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property. Accordingly, we cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our patents or in third-party patents.

     The degree of future protection for our proprietary rights is uncertain because legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or keep our competitive advantage. For example:

•   we might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by each of our pending patent applications and issued patents;
 
•   we might not have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions;
 
•   others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies;
 
•   it is possible that none of our pending patent applications will result in issued patents;
 
•   our issued patents may not provide a basis for commercially-viable active immunotherapies, or may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be challenged by third parties;
 
•   we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; or
 
•   the patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business.

     We also rely on trade secrets to protect our technology, especially where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. While we use reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets, our employees, consultants, contractors, outside scientific collaborators and other advisors may unintentionally or willfully disclose our information to competitors. Enforcing a claim that a third party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets is expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the United States are sometimes less willing to protect trade secrets. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how.

We will need to increase the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing growth.

     In order to continue our clinical trials and commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, we will need to expand our employee base for managerial, operational, financial and other resources. We anticipate that we will need more than 350 employees by the time MyVax is initially commercialized. We do not expect to be able to commercially launch MyVax until 2006, at the earliest. Future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including the need to identify, recruit, maintain and integrate additional employees. Our future financial performance and our ability to commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, and to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to manage any future growth effectively. To that end, we must be able to:

•   manage our research and development efforts effectively;
 
•   manage our clinical trials effectively;
 
•   integrate additional management, administrative, manufacturing and sales and marketing personnel;
 
•   develop our administrative, accounting and management information systems and controls; and
 
•   hire and train additional qualified personnel.

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We may experience difficulties in manufacturing MyVax, or any other immunotherapy that we may develop, which could prevent us from completing our clinical trials and delay the commercialization of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     Manufacturing MyVax is a complex multi-step process that requires us to expend significant time, money and effort on production, record keeping and quality control systems to assure that MyVax will meet product specifications and other regulatory requirements. In addition, manufacturing MyVax requires coordination internally among our employees as well as externally with physicians, hospitals and third-party suppliers and carriers. This process involves several risks that may lead to failures or delays in manufacturing MyVax, including:

•   failure to obtain a sufficient supply of key raw materials of suitable quality;
 
•   difficulties in manufacturing MyVax for multiple patients simultaneously;
 
•   difficulties in obtaining adequate tumor samples from physicians;
 
•   difficulties in the timely shipping of tumor samples to us or in the shipping of MyVax to the treating physicians due to errors by third-party carriers, transportation restrictions or other reasons;
 
•   difficulties in completing the development and validation of the specialized assays required to ensure the consistency of MyVax;
 
•   failure to ensure adequate quality control and assurances in the manufacturing process as we increase the production quantities of MyVax;
 
•   destruction of, or damage to, tumor samples or MyVax during the shipping process due to improper handling by third-party carriers, hospitals, physicians or us;
 
•   destruction of, or damage to, tumor samples or MyVax during storage at our facility;
 
•   difficulties in establishing and effectively operating a commercial-scale manufacturing facility;
 
•   failure to comply with, or significant changes in, regulatory requirements, such as FDA regulations and environmental laws;
 
•   damage to or destruction of our manufacturing facility or equipment;
 
•   shortages of qualified personnel; and
 
•   difficulties in ensuring the quality and consistency of materials and services provided by our suppliers.

     If we experience any difficulties in manufacturing MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, our ongoing clinical trials may be delayed and commercialization of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, may be delayed.

We rely on the availability and condition of our sole manufacturing facility in Redwood City, California. If we are not able to renew the subleases or if the facility is damaged or destroyed, then our ability to manufacture products will be significantly affected and we will be delayed or prevented from completing our clinical trials and commercializing MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     We currently rely on the availability and condition of our sole manufacturing facility, located in Redwood City, California, to manufacture MyVax. Our facility is located in a seismic zone, and there is the possibility of an earthquake which, depending on its magnitude, could be disruptive to our operations. Our subleases for this facility expire as early as May 2006 and as late as November 2006, and because we have no options to extend the terms of these subleases, we may not be able to negotiate new subleases for this facility. In addition, if the facility or the equipment in the facility is significantly damaged or destroyed for any reason, we will not be able to quickly or inexpensively replace our manufacturing capacity. The inability to renew the subleases or the damage or destruction of the facility would significantly affect our ability to manufacture MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, and would delay or prevent us from completing our clinical trials and commercializing MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

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If we are sued for infringing intellectual property rights of third parties, it will be costly and time consuming, and an unfavorable outcome in that litigation would have a material adverse effect on our business.

     Our ability to commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, depends upon our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. Numerous United States and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned by third parties, exist in the general field of immunotherapy and gene expression. In addition, because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending applications, unknown to us, which may later result in issued patents that MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, may infringe. There could also be existing patents of which we are not aware that MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, may inadvertently infringe.

     In particular, we are aware of patents held jointly by Genentech, Inc. and City of Hope National Medical Center relating to expression of recombinant antibodies, by British Technology Group PLC relating to expression of recombinant proteins in mammalian cells, by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University relating to expression of recombinant antibodies and by Stratagene relating to generation of DNA that encodes antibodies. To date, we have elected not to seek licenses for these patents because, among other reasons, we believe that our pre-commercialization activities fall within the scope of an available exemption. In addition, we do not believe that we will be required to seek any licenses upon completion of our pre-commercialization activities. For more information, please refer to the section in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission entitled “Business — Intellectual Property”. We may be exposed to future litigation by the companies holding these patents or other third parties based on claims that MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, or the methods we employ to manufacture them, infringe their intellectual property rights. Our ability to manufacture and commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, may depend on our ability to demonstrate that MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, and our manufacturing processes do not infringe third-party patents. If these patents were found to cover MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, or our manufacturing process, we could be required to pay damages and could be unable to commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, unless we obtained a license. A license may not be available to us on acceptable terms in the future, if at all.

     There is a substantial amount of litigation involving patent and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries generally. If a third party claims that we infringe on their technology, we could face a number of issues, including:

•   infringement and other intellectual property claims which, with or without merit, can be expensive and time-consuming to litigate and can divert management’s attention from our core business;
 
•   substantial damages for past infringement which we may have to pay if a court decides that our product infringes on a competitor’s patent;
 
•   a court prohibiting us from selling or licensing our product unless the patent holder licenses the patent to us, which it is not required to do;
 
•   if a license is available from a patent holder, we may have to pay substantial royalties or grant cross licenses to our patents; and
 
•   redesigning our process so it does not infringe which may not be possible or could require substantial funds and time.

We are not able to prevent others, including potential competitors, from using the patient-specific idiotype protein- keyhole limpet hemocyanin, or KLH, conjugate, comprising a single idiotype protein, that we use in our lead product candidate, MyVax, for the treatment of indolent B-cell NHL.

     The patient-specific idiotype-KLH conjugate, comprising a single idiotype protein, and its use for the treatment of indolent B-cell NHL is in the public domain and therefore cannot be patented. Consequently, we are only able to receive patent protection for our amplified cell lines and the process we use to manufacture the tumor-derived idiotype protein used in MyVax. As a result, we cannot prevent other companies using different manufacturing processes from developing active immunotherapies that directly compete with MyVax.

We are subject to extensive regulation, which can be costly and time consuming and could subject us to unanticipated delays or prevent us from obtaining the required approvals to commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     MyVax and any other immunotherapies that we may develop, clinical trials and manufacturing activities are subject to comprehensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory agencies in the United States and by comparable authorities in other

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countries. The process of obtaining these approvals is expensive, often takes many years and can vary substantially based upon the type, complexity and novelty of the products involved. Approval policies or regulations may change. In addition, patient-specific active immunotherapies are complex, and regulatory agencies lack experience with them, which may lengthen the regulatory review process, increase our development costs and delay or prevent commercialization of our lead product candidate, MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop. The FDA has not approved the marketing of any immunotherapeutic drug based on a patient-specific active immunotherapy. Consequently, there is no precedent for the successful commercialization of a patient-specific active idiotype immunotherapeutic drug. In addition, we have not previously filed the marketing applications necessary to gain regulatory approvals. This lack of experience may impede our ability to obtain timely FDA approval, if at all. We will not be able to commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, until we obtain FDA approval in the United States or approval by comparable authorities in other countries. We do not expect to receive regulatory approval for the commercial sale of MyVax until 2006, at the earliest. Any delay in obtaining, or inability to obtain, FDA approval would prevent us from commercializing MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

Even if MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, receives regulatory approval, we may still face development and regulatory difficulties relating to MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, in the future.

     If we receive regulatory approval to sell MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities may, nevertheless, impose significant restrictions on the indicated uses or marketing of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, or impose ongoing requirements for post-approval studies. In addition, regulatory agencies subject a marketed product, its manufacturer and the manufacturer’s facilities to continual review and periodic inspections. If we discover previously unknown problems with a product or our manufacturing and laboratory facility, a regulatory agency may impose restrictions on that product or on us, including requiring us to withdraw the product from the market. We will be subject to ongoing FDA requirements for submission of safety and other post-market information. If we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory agency may:

•   issue warning letters;
 
•   impose civil or criminal penalties;
 
•   suspend our regulatory approval;
 
•   suspend any of our ongoing clinical trials;
 
•   refuse to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us;
 
•   impose restrictions on our operations, including closing our facility; or
 
•   seize or detain products or require a product recall.

Obtaining regulatory approval of our manufacturing facility or disruptions in our manufacturing process may delay or disrupt our commercialization efforts.

     Before we can begin to commercially manufacture MyVax, we must obtain regulatory approval from the FDA for our manufacturing facility and process. In addition, we must pass a pre-approval inspection of our manufacturing facility by the FDA before MyVax can obtain marketing approval. In order to obtain approval, we will need to ensure that all of our processes, methods and equipment are compliant with cGMP, and perform extensive audits of vendors, contract laboratories and suppliers. If any of our vendors, contract laboratories or suppliers are found to be out of compliance with cGMP, we may experience delays or disruptions in the manufacturing of MyVax while we work with these third parties to remedy the violation or while we work to identify suitable replacement vendors. The cGMP requirements govern quality control of the manufacturing process and documentation policies and procedures. We have undertaken steps towards achieving compliance with these regulatory requirements required for commercialization. In complying with cGMP, we will be obligated to expend time, money and effort in production, record keeping and quality control to assure that the product meets applicable specifications and other requirements. If we fail to comply with these requirements, we would be subject to possible regulatory action and may not be permitted to sell MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     We are currently manufacturing the necessary quantities of MyVax for our clinical trials at our existing facility in Redwood City, California. Our manufacturing facility is currently subject to licensing requirements of the California Department of Health Services, and we received this license during the second quarter of 2004. Our facility is subject to inspection by the FDA as well as by the California Department of Health Services at any time. Failure to maintain our license from the California Department of Health Services or to meet the inspection criteria of the FDA and the California Department of Health Services would disrupt our manufacturing processes and would harm our business. If an inspection by the FDA, California Department of Health Services or foreign regulatory authorities indicates that there are deficiencies, we could be required to take remedial actions, or our facility may be closed.

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     In order to commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, we will need to construct and qualify a commercial scale manufacturing facility. Preparing a facility for commercial manufacturing may involve unanticipated delays and the costs of complying with FDA regulations may be higher than we anticipated. In addition, any material changes we make to the manufacturing process may require approval by the FDA and state or foreign regulatory authorities. Obtaining these approvals is a lengthy, involved process, and we may experience delays. Such delays could increase costs and adversely affect our business.

Raising additional funds by issuing securities or through collaboration and licensing arrangements may cause dilution to existing stockholders or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies, MyVax or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     We may raise additional funds through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, corporate collaboration or licensing arrangements or other arrangements. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. To the extent that we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience additional dilution, and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants. To the extent that we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish some rights to our technologies, MyVax or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.

Delays in clinical testing could result in increased costs to us and delay our ability to generate revenue.

     Significant delays in clinical testing could materially impact our product development costs. We do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, will need to be restructured or will be completed on schedule, if at all. Clinical trials can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays in obtaining regulatory approval to commence and continue a study, delays in reaching agreement on acceptable clinical study agreement terms with prospective sites, delays in obtaining institutional review board approval to conduct a study at a prospective site and delays in recruiting patients to participate in a study.

     In addition, we typically rely on third-party clinical investigators to conduct our clinical trials and other third-party organizations to oversee the operations of such clinical trials and to perform data collection and analysis. As a result, we may face additional delays outside of our control if these parties do not perform their obligations in a timely fashion. If we have significant delays in testing or regulatory approvals, our financial results and the commercial prospects for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, will be harmed, our costs could increase and our ability to generate revenue could be delayed.

The commercial success of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, will depend upon the degree of market acceptance of these products among physicians, patients, health care payors and the medical community.

     MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, may not gain market acceptance among physicians, patients, health care payors and the medical community. The degree of market acceptance of any approved immunotherapies will depend on a number of factors, including:

•   market acceptance of patient-specific active immunotherapies;
 
•   the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
 
•   potential advantages over alternative treatments;
 
•   ability to produce an active immunotherapy at a competitive price;
 
•   relative convenience and ease of administration;
 
•   publicity concerning our products or competitive products;
 
•   the strength of marketing and distribution support; and
 
•   sufficient third-party coverage or reimbursement.

     If MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, are approved but do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by physicians, healthcare payors and patients, we may not generate product revenue and we may not become profitable.

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If we are unable to obtain acceptable prices or adequate reimbursement from third-party payors for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, our revenues and prospects for profitability will suffer.

     Our ability to commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, is highly dependent on the extent to which coverage and reimbursement for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, will be available from:

•   governmental payors, such as Medicare and Medicaid;
 
•   private health insurers, including managed care organizations; and
 
•   other third-party payors.

     Many patients will not be capable of paying for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, themselves and will rely on third-party payors to pay for their medical needs. A primary current trend in the United States health care industry is toward cost containment. Large private payors, managed care organizations, group purchasing organizations and similar organizations are exerting increasing influence on decisions regarding the use of, and reimbursement levels for, particular treatments. Such third-party payors, including Medicare, are challenging the prices charged for medical products and services, and many third-party payors limit reimbursement for newly approved health care products. In particular, third-party payors may limit the indications for which they will reimburse patients who use MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop. On December 8, 2003, President Bush signed into law the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003. We have not determined the full impact of this new law on our business; however, we believe that legislation that could limit reimbursement for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, could adversely impact how much or under what circumstances healthcare providers would prescribe or administer our products, and could decrease the price we might establish for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, which would result in lower product revenues. Other cost-control initiatives could also decrease the price we might establish for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, which would also result in lower product revenues. If governmental and other third-party payors do not provide adequate coverage and reimbursement levels for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, our revenue and prospects for profitability will suffer.

If our competitors are better able to develop and market products that are more effective than MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, our commercial opportunity will be reduced or eliminated.

     We face competition from established pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as from academic institutions, government agencies and private and public research institutions. Various products are currently marketed for the treatment of NHL, and a number of companies are developing new treatments. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we do. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. Our commercial opportunity will be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer side effects or are less expensive than MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies and technology licenses complementary to our programs or advantageous to our business.

     We expect that our ability to compete effectively will depend upon our ability to:

•   successfully and rapidly complete clinical trials and obtain all requisite regulatory approvals in a cost-effective manner;
 
•   maintain a proprietary position for our manufacturing process and other technology;
 
•   attract and retain key personnel; and
 
•   build an adequate sales and marketing infrastructure for MyVax.

     Several companies, such as Corixa Corporation, Biogen Idec Inc. and Immunomedics, Inc., are involved in the development of passive immunotherapies for the treatment of NHL. Various products are currently marketed for treatment of NHL. Rituxan, a passive immunotherapy co-marketed by Genentech, Inc. and Biogen Idec Inc., is approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory, low grade B-cell NHL. In addition, Biogen Idec Inc. has received FDA approval for marketing its passive radioimmunotherapy product, Zevalin, and GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Corixa Corporation received FDA approval for marketing their version of passive radioimmunotherapy product, Bexxar, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory low grade, follicular, or transformed B-cell NHL. For more information, please refer to the section entitled “Business — MyVax Personalized Immunotherapy” in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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     In addition, there are several companies focusing on the development of active immunotherapies for the treatment of NHL, including Antigenics, Inc., Favrille, Inc. and Large Scale Biology Corporation. We are aware that the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, in collaboration with Biovest International, Inc., is currently conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial of active immunotherapy in patients with follicular NHL. If any are successfully developed and approved, they could compete directly with MyVax, if it is approved. In addition, researchers are continually learning more about NHL and other forms of cancer, and new discoveries may lead to new technologies for treatment. As a result, MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, may be rendered obsolete and noncompetitive at any time.

     We may not be able to accomplish these tasks, and our failure to accomplish any of them could harm our financial results.

Our efforts to discover, develop and commercialize MyVax for indications other than follicular B-cell NHL are at an early stage and are subject to a high risk of failure.

     The process of successfully developing product candidates is very time-consuming, expensive and unpredictable. We have recently begun to direct our efforts toward the development of MyVax for indications other than follicular B-cell NHL. We do not know whether our planned clinical trials for MyVax in indications other than follicular B-cell NHL will begin on time or be completed on schedule, if at all. In addition, we do not know whether these clinical trials will result in marketable products. Typically, there is a high rate of attrition for product candidates in clinical trials. We do not anticipate that MyVax for indications other than follicular B-cell NHL will reach the market for at least several years, if at all.

If we are unable to establish sales and marketing capabilities or enter into agreements with companies to sell and market MyVax, we may be unable to generate product revenue.

     We do not have a sales organization and have no experience as a company in the sales, marketing and distribution of pharmaceutical products. In order to commercialize any products, we must develop our sales, marketing and distribution capabilities or make arrangements with a third party to perform these services. If MyVax is approved for commercial sale, we currently plan to establish our own sales force to market it in the United States. Developing a sales force is expensive and time consuming and could delay any product launch. We cannot be certain that we would be able to develop this capacity. If we are unable to establish our sales and marketing capability, we will need to contract with third parties to market and sell MyVax in the United States. We will also need to develop a plan to market and sell MyVax outside the United States. To the extent that we enter into arrangements with third parties to perform sales, marketing and distribution services, our product revenues are likely to be lower than if we directly marketed and sold MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop. If we are unable to establish adequate sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, independently or with others, we may not be able to generate product revenue and may not become profitable.

If product liability lawsuits are successfully brought against us, we will incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the testing of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, in human clinical trials and will face an even greater risk if we sell MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, commercially. Currently, we are not aware of any historical or anticipated product liability claims. In the future, an individual may bring a liability claim against us if MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, causes, or merely appears to have caused, an injury. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against the product liability claim, we will incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

•   decreased demand for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop;
 
•   injury to our reputation;
 
•   withdrawal of clinical trial participants;
 
•   costs of related litigation;
 
•   substantial monetary awards to patients;
 
•   loss of revenues; and
 
•   the inability to commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     We have product liability insurance that covers our clinical trials up to a $3.0 million annual aggregate limit. We intend to expand our insurance coverage to include the sale of commercial products if marketing approval is obtained for MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop. We believe that our current insurance coverage is adequate. However, insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost and we may not be able to obtain insurance coverage that will be adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.

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We may incur significant costs complying with environmental laws and regulations.

     We use hazardous materials that could be dangerous to human health, safety or the environment. As appropriate, we store these materials and various wastes resulting from their use at our facility pending ultimate use and disposal. We currently contract with a third party to dispose of these materials and various wastes resulting from the use of such materials at our facility. We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, generation, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and wastes resulting from the use of such materials. While our costs for compliance, including costs related to the disposal of hazardous materials, to date have been nominal, we may incur significant costs complying with both existing and future environmental laws and regulations. We are subject to regulation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, the California and federal environmental protection agencies and to regulation under the Toxic Substances Control Act. OSHA or the California or federal Environmental Protection Agency, may adopt regulations that may affect our research and development programs. We are unable to predict whether any agency will adopt any regulations that could have a material adverse effect on our operations.

If we use biological and hazardous materials in a manner that causes injury or violates laws, we may be liable for damages.

     Our research and development and manufacturing activities involve the use of biological and hazardous materials that could be dangerous to human health, safety or the environment. Even if our safety procedures for handling, storage and disposing of these materials comply with federal, state and local laws and regulations, we cannot entirely eliminate the risk of accidental injury or contamination from the use, storage, handling or disposal of these materials. In the event of contamination or injury, we could be held liable for any resulting damages. We have general liability insurance of up to $3.0 million per occurrence. We believe our current insurance coverage is adequate. However, this insurance may not cover a claim that arises if it is related to our biological or hazardous materials. However, if we were to be held liable for an accident involving our biological or hazardous materials, this liability could exceed our insurance coverage and our other financial resources.

If we fail to attract and keep senior management and key scientific personnel, we may be unable to successfully develop MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, conduct our clinical trials and commercialize MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop.

     Our success depends on our continued ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified management, clinical and scientific personnel and on our ability to develop and maintain important relationships with leading academic institutions, clinicians and scientists. We are highly dependent upon our senior management and scientific staff, particularly Dr. Dan W. Denney, Jr., our founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The loss of services of Dr. Denney or one or more of our other members of senior management could delay or prevent the successful completion of our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial or the commercialization of MyVax. Currently, we do not have employment agreements with any members of senior management. As of March 31, 2005, Dr. Denney owned 1,175,300 shares of our common stock that were not subject to any vesting and options to purchase 225,000 shares of our common stock, of which approximately 57,810 shares were vested. We do not carry “key person” insurance covering members of senior management other than Dr. Denney. The insurance covering Dr. Denney is in the amount of $10.0 million.

     The competition for qualified personnel in the biotechnology field is intense. In particular, our ability to deliver patient therapies depends on our ability to attract and retain quality assurance and control personnel. We will need to hire additional personnel as we continue to expand our manufacturing, research and development activities. We are not aware of any key personnel planning to retire or leave us in the near future.

Other Risks

Our stock price may be volatile, and your investment in our stock could decline in value.

     The market prices for securities of biotechnology companies in general have been highly volatile and may continue to be highly volatile in the future. The following factors, in addition to other risk factors described in this section, may have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock:

•   the success of our research efforts and clinical trials;
 
•   announcements of technological innovations or new products by us or our competitors;
 
•   announcement of FDA approval or non-approval of MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, or delays in the FDA review process;
 
•   actions taken by regulatory agencies with respect to MyVax, or any other immunotherapies that we may develop, clinical trials, manufacturing process or sales and marketing activities;

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•   regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries;
 
•   any intellectual property infringement lawsuit involving us;
 
•   announcements concerning our competitors, or the biotechnology or biopharmaceutical industries in general;
 
•   actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;
 
•   changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;
 
•   sales of large blocks of our common stock;
 
•   sales of our common stock by our executive officers, directors and significant stockholders;
 
•   changes in accounting principles; and
 
•   the loss of any of our key scientific or management personnel.

     In particular, you may not be able to resell your shares at or above your purchase price. The stock markets in general, and the markets for biotechnology stocks in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock. In the past, class action litigation has often been instituted against companies whose securities have experienced periods of volatility in market price. Any such litigation brought against us could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which would hurt our business, operating results and financial condition.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

     Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our bylaws may delay or prevent an acquisition of us or a change in our management. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our Board of Directors. Because our Board of Directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team. These provisions include a classified board of directors and a prohibition on actions by our stockholders by written consent. In addition, our Board of Directors has the right to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used to institute a “poison pill” that would work to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, effectively preventing acquisitions that have not been approved by our Board of Directors. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us in certain circumstances. Finally, these provisions establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our Board of Directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon at stockholder meetings. Although we believe these provisions together provide for an opportunity to receive higher bids by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our Board of Directors, they would apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some stockholders.

The ownership interests of our officers, directors and largest stockholders could conflict with the interests of our other stockholders.

     As of March 31, 2005, our officers, directors and holders of 5% or more of our outstanding common stock beneficially owned approximately 25% of our common stock (assuming no exercise of outstanding options or warrants). As a result, these stockholders, acting together, are able to significantly influence all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and the approval of mergers or other business combination transactions. The interests of this group of stockholders may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of other stockholders.

Future sales of our common stock could lower the market price of our common stock.

     Sales of substantial amounts of shares in the public market could harm the market price of our common stock. As of March 31, 2005, 28,195,872 shares of our common stock were outstanding. All of these shares are freely tradeable under federal and state securities laws.

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In addition, of the 2,032,596 shares issuable upon exercise of options to purchase our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2005, approximately 488,495 shares were vested and eligible for sale as of March 31, 2005. In addition, if we propose to register any of our securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, either for our own account or for the accounts of other security holders, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the holders of registration rights will be entitled to include their shares of common stock. In addition, holders of registration rights may require us on not more than two occasions at any time to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to their shares of common stock. Further, the holders of registration rights may require us to register their shares on Form S-3. These rights shall terminate altogether in November 2006, and, with respect to each holder of such rights, on the date when such holder holds less than 1% of our outstanding shares of common stock and is able to sell all of its shares pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act in any 90-day period. These registration rights are subject to certain conditions and limitations, including the right of the underwriters to limit the number of shares included in any such registration under certain circumstances. In the future, we may also issue additional shares to our employees, directors or consultants, in connection with corporate alliances or acquisitions, and issue additional shares in follow-on offerings to raise additional capital. Due to these factors, sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. Such sales could reduce the market price of our common stock.

We will need to implement additional finance and accounting systems, procedures and controls as we grow our business and organization and to satisfy new reporting requirements.

     As a public reporting company, we are required to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the related rules and regulations of the SEC, including expanded disclosures and accelerated reporting requirements and more complex accounting rules. Compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other requirements will increase our costs and require additional management resources. We may need to continue to implement additional finance and accounting systems, procedures and controls to comply with new reporting requirements. While we were able to complete a favorable assessment as to the adequacy of our internal control reporting for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2004, there is no assurance that we will be able to complete future favorable assessments as to the adequacy of our internal control reporting.

The adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 123R and changes to existing accounting pronouncements or taxation rules or practices may affect how we conduct our business and affect our reported results of operations.

     On December 16, 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 123R, “Share Based Payment - An Amendment of FASB Statements No. 123 and 95,” (“SFAS 123R”) which will require us to measure compensation costs for all stock-based compensation (including stock options and our employee stock purchase plan, as currently constructed) at fair value and record compensation expense in our statement of operations. In April 2005, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the adoption of a new rule that amends the effective date of SFAS 123R. The effective date of the new standard under these new rules for our financial statements is January 1, 2006. Adoption of this statement could have a significant impact on our financial statements as we will be required to expense the fair value of our stock option grants and stock purchases under our employee stock purchase plan rather than disclose the impact on our net loss within our footnotes, as is our current practice. The impact of adoption of SFAS 123R cannot be predicted at this time because it will depend on levels of share-based payments granted in the future The adoption of SFAS 123R and other potential changes could materially impact our results of operations. Also, a change in accounting pronouncements or taxation rules or practices can have a significant effect on our reported results and may even affect our reporting of transactions completed before the change is effective. Other new accounting pronouncements or taxation rules and varying interpretations of accounting pronouncements or taxation practice have occurred and may occur in the future. Changes to existing rules, future changes, if any, or the questioning of current practices may adversely affect our reported financial results or the way we conduct our business.

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

     Interest Rate Risk. We are exposed to interest rate risk primarily through our short-term investments. The primary objective of our cash investment activities is to preserve principal while at the same time maximizing the income we receive from our invested cash without significantly increasing risk of loss. We do not use derivative financial instruments in our investment portfolio. Our cash and investments policy emphasizes liquidity and preservation of principal over other portfolio considerations. As of March 31, 2005, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $109.4 million. Due to the nature of these investments, if market interest rates were to increase immediately and uniformly by 10% from levels as of March 31, 2005, the decline in fair value of our portfolio would be immaterial.

     In addition, we do not have any material exposure to foreign currency rate fluctuations as we operate primarily in the United States.

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ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

     Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the quarterly period covered by this Form 10-Q. Based upon this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective. There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our quarter ended March 31, 2005 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

(b)

     On October 29, 2003, our first registration statement on Form S-1 (no. 333-107719) was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission, pursuant to which 4,179,860 shares of our common stock were offered and sold by us at a price of $9.00 per share, generating aggregate gross proceeds of $37,618,740. WR Hambrecht + Co acted as the lead underwriter of the offering. Punk, Ziegel & Company and Brean Murray & Co., Inc. acted as co-managers. In connection with this offering, we paid the underwriters a commission of $2,633,312 and incurred offering expenses estimated at $1,250,000. After deducting the underwriters’ commission and the estimated offering expenses, we received net proceeds of approximately $33,735,428 from the offering.

     From the time of receipt through March 31, 2005, we have invested the net proceeds from our initial public offering in marketable securities. During that period, we have funded our operations using the proceeds from our initial public offering. Approximately $1.0 million of the proceeds was used in November 2003 to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under our line of credit facilities. On November 14, 2003, we terminated both credit facilities. In addition, approximately $35.4 million of the proceeds were used to fund operations through March 31, 2005 and approximately $0.9 million of the proceeds were used for capital expenditures. None of the expenses, or application of the net proceeds, were paid, directly or indirectly, to directors, officers or persons owning 10 percent or more of our common stock or to their associates, or to our affiliates(other than salaries to officers arising out of normal operating activities).

(c) The table below reflects our stock purchases during the three months ended March 31, 2005. All shares were repurchased by us from former employees pursuant to repurchase options granted to us by the employees under an early exercise option agreement.

                                         
                                    Maximum Number (or  
                          Total Number of       Approximate Dollar  
                          Shares Purchased       Value) of Shares that  
                          as Part of Publicly       May Yet Be Purchased  
      Total Number of       Average Price       Announced Plans       Under the Plans or  
Period     Shares Purchased       Paid per Share       or Programs       Program  
                         
January 1-31, 2005
      188       $1.20                 17,136  
February 1-28, 2005
       —            —                 16,317  
March 1-31, 2005
       —            —                 15,623  

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

     On March 10, 2005, Genitope Corporation entered into a short-term lease with Metropolitan Life to extend its stay in its current corporate headquarters in Redwood City, California until such time the lease and build out of a new corporate headquarters and commercial manufacturing facility is complete.

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

The exhibits listed on the accompanying index to exhibits are filed or incorporated by reference (as stated therein) as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

     
  GENITOPE CORPORATION
 
   
Date: May 9, 2005
  /s/ Dan W. Denney Jr.
   
  Dan W. Denney Jr., Ph.D.
  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
  (Principal Executive Officer)
 
   
Date: May 9, 2005
  /s/ John M.Vuko
   
  John M. Vuko
  Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

           
 
  Number     Exhibit Description  
 
3.1*
    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Genitope Corporation  
 
3.2*
    Amended and Restated Bylaws of Genitope Corporation  
 
4.1**
    Specimen Common Stock Certificate  
 
4.2*
    Investor Rights Agreement, dated August 29, 2003, by and among Registrant and certain investors named therein  
 
4.3 *
    Series F Warrant, dated August 29, 2003, between Registrant and Stanford C. Finney  
 
10.1
    Lease, dated March 10, 2005, between Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and Genitope Corporation  
 
31.1
    Certification required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a).  
 
31.2
    Certification required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a).  
 
32.1***
    Certification by the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of Genitope Corporation, as required by Rule 13a–14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) and Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. 1350).  
 


*  Filed as an Exhibit to Genitope Corporation’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-107719), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 6, 2003, as amended, and incorporated herein by reference.
 
**  Filed as an Exhibit to Genitope Corporation’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-107719), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 11, 2003, as amended, and incorporated herein by reference.
 
***  This certification accompanies this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, is not deemed filed with the SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Genitope Corporation under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.

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