Owner to Close St. Joseph Hospital Cancer Clinic

A cash-strapped Massachusetts biotechnical company said Tuesday that it will close its cancer treatment clinics in Orange and two other cities at the end of April to save money as it seeks federal approval for its emerging technology.

Cellcor Inc., which offers immunotherapy for patients with kidney cancer, said that 15 employees will be laid off from its clinic and laboratory at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange and that 27 others at hospital offices in Atlanta and Boston will also be let go.

The company is shutting down its commercial operations, which lost $12.5 million last year, to concentrate on seeking U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its cancer treatment. Cellcor uses good white cells from a cancer patient’s blood, activates the cells and injects them into the diseased area to help the patient’s own immune system fight the cancer.

Richard R. D’Antoni, Cellcor’s president, said the layoffs will be effective May 1 and will reduce the company’s work force to 45 people. Physicians had been using the company as part of their treatment of kidney cancer. With FDA approval, the company can set up regional centers and offer its services more economically, D’Antoni said.