Therion Biologics
Based: Cambridge, MA
Founded: 1991  

Why it was Fierce in 2004: The FDA has just approved a pivotal Phase III trial of Therion's lead vaccine candidate, Panvac, an experimental treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer in patients who have failed treatment with gemcitabine.

Where are they now?: Therion closed its doors in 2006 after its prostate cancer vaccine Prostvac flunked a late-stage trial. But the story doesn't end there. Bavarian Nordic purchased rights to the vaccine and last year announced that patients who were given the drug had a statistically significant longer median survival rate than a control group. Unfortunately for Therion, the company's investors weren't willing to wait four years for the good news.