8-K

                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                       Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of
                       The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                                September 9, 2004
                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)


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                                 ANTIGENICS INC
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


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          DELAWARE               000-29089                06-1562417
(State or other jurisdiction    (Commission             (IRS Employer
       of incorporation)        File Number)         Identification No.)



          630 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2100
               New York, NY 10111                                    10111
    (Address of principal executive offices)                      (Zip Code)




                                  212-994-8200
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

[ ]  Written  communications  pursuant to Rule 425 under the  Securities Act (17
     CFR 230.425)

[ ]  Soliciting  material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
     240.14a-12)

[ ]  Pre-commencement   communications  pursuant  to  Rule  14d-2(b)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[ ]  Pre-commencement   communications  pursuant  to  Rule  13e-4(c)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))






ITEM 5.02 DEPARTURE OF DIRECTORS OR PRINCIPAL OFFICERS; ELECTION OF DIRECTORS;
          APPOINTMENT OF PRINCIPAL OFFICERS


     On September  10, 2004,  Antigenics  Inc.  (the  "Company")  announced  the
appointment of Alastair J. J. Wood, MD, to its board of directors.  There was no
arrangement  or  understanding  pursuant  to which  Dr.  Wood was  elected  as a
director,  and there are no related party  transactions  between the Company and
Dr.  Wood.  Dr. Wood will serve on the  Corporate  Governance  Committee  of the
Company's Board of Directors.


     On September 10, 2004,  the Company  issued a press release  announcing the
election of Dr. Wood as a new director to the Company's Board of Directors.  The
full text of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K.





ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS


         (c) Exhibits:

             99.1     Press Release dated September 10, 2004














                                   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 hereunto duly authorized.

                                          ANTIGENICS INC.

Date: September 10, 2004
                                          By: /s/ Garo H. Armen
                                          ----------------------------------
                                         Garo H. Armen, Ph.D.
                                         Chairman and Chief Executive Officer












EXHIBIT INDEX


The following designated exhibits are filed herewith:

Exhibits:

99.1              Press Release dated September 10, 2004

EX-99.1

                                                                    Exhibit 99.1

            Alastair Wood, MD, Joins Antigenics' Board of Directors

     NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 2004--Antigenics Inc. (NASDAQ: AGEN)
today announced the appointment of Alastair J. J. Wood, MD, to its board of
directors. Dr. Wood, a 2002 nominee for commissioner of the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), currently serves as associate dean, attending physician
and tenured professor of medicine and pharmacology at Vanderbilt Medical School
in Nashville, Tenn. His appointment brings more than 20 years of health care and
pharmaceutical experience to Antigenics' board of directors.
     "Dr. Wood's wealth of expertise in the areas of drug development and
regulatory affairs will clearly be a valuable asset to Antigenics," said Garo H.
Armen, PhD, chairman and CEO of Antigenics. "We look forward to his
contributions and counsel as Antigenics looks to commercialize its lead
product."
     In addition to numerous past and present positions at Vanderbilt, Dr. Wood
was a member of the FDA's cardiovascular and renal advisory committee and is
currently a member of the agency's nonprescription drug advisory committee. Dr.
Wood has also been a member and chairman of the National Institutes of Health
study sections, acted as consultant to several pharmaceutical companies,
investors, venture capital funds and major academic institutions, and served in
a similar capacity for various philanthropic grant-giving bodies. Most recently,
he was the drug therapy editor of The New England Journal of Medicine from 1992
through 2004, and is on the editorial boards of Clinical Pharmacology and
Therapeutics and The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Dr. Wood received
his medical degree from St. Andrew's University and Dundee Medical School in
Scotland.

     About Antigenics

     Antigenics is working to develop personalized immunotherapeutics and
revolutionary treatments for cancers and infectious diseases. The company's lead
product in development is Oncophage(R) (HSPPC-96), a late-stage, personalized
cancer vaccine being evaluated in several indications, including renal cell
carcinoma and metastatic melanoma. Antigenics' portfolio of investigational
products also includes AG-858 (HSPPC-70), a personalized cancer vaccine in Phase
2 development; two Phase 2 liposomal cancer treatments, Aroplatin(TM) and
ATRA-IV; and AG-702/AG-707, a Phase 1 genital herpes program. For more
information about Antigenics, please visit www.antigenics.com.

     This press release contains forward-looking statements, including
statements regarding the benefits of Dr. Wood joining Antigenics' board of
directors and the potential commercialization of Oncophage. These statements are
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Risks and
uncertainties relating to commercialization of Oncophage and our other product
candidates include, among others, the ability to satisfy the FDA and other
regulatory authorities regarding product characterization, safety, efficacy, and
the structure of clinical trials; the results of clinical trials; the ability to
successfully prepare Oncophage and other product candidates; and the factors
described in the company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Please see the disclosure under the heading "Factors That May Impact
Future Results" in the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations section of the Antigenics Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2004, for a more complete
discussion of these and other risk factors. Antigenics cautions investors not to
place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this
press release. These statements speak only as of the date of this document, and
Antigenics undertakes no obligation to update or revise the statements. All
forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this
cautionary statement. Antigenics' business is subject to substantial risks and
uncertainties, including those identified above. When evaluating Antigenics'
business and securities, investors should give careful consideration to these
risks and uncertainties.

     CONTACT: Antigenics Inc.
              Sunny Uberoi, 212-994-8206
              suberoi@antigenics.com
                     or
              Investor Relations
              Jack Howarth, 212-994-8244
              jhowarth@antigenics.com