# Training Immune Cells to Fight Specific Cancers > This patent describes a method to treat specific cancers like esophageal or lung cancer by creating specialized immune cells in the lab and giving them to patients to kill cancer cells that display a particular protein fragment. - **Patent:** US 10364282 - **Original title:** Peptides and combination of peptides for use in immunotherapy against esophageal cancer and other cancers - **Owner:** Immatics Biotechnologies - **Granted:** 2019 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 2 - **Field:** biotech, pharmaceutical, immunotherapy, oncology, cell_therapy ## What it does The patent claims a method for treating cancers that produce too much of a protein called KRT5. It involves taking a patient's own immune cells, specifically T cells, or T cells from a healthy donor (claim 3), and training them in a lab (in vitro) to recognize a specific part of the KRT5 protein (SEQ ID NO: 2) when it's presented by another cell (an antigen presenting cell) on an MHC class I molecule (claim 1). These trained T cells, called cytotoxic T cells, are then activated and expanded in number (claim 5) before being given back to the patient. Once inside the patient, these activated T cells target and kill cancer cells overexpressing KRT5, such as those found in esophageal cancer (claim 16) or lung cancer (claim 17). For example, a patient with esophageal cancer could receive a dose of their own T cells, which were previously taught in a lab to find and destroy cells showing the KRT5 protein fragment. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover immunotherapy methods that target cancer cells without specifically relying on the KRT5 polypeptide (SEQ ID NO: 2). - Does not cover treatments for cancers that do not overexpress the KRT5 polypeptide. - Does not cover T-cell therapies where the T cells are not activated in vitro by an antigen-presenting cell presenting the specific SEQ ID NO: 2 peptide with an MHC class I molecule. - Does not cover treatments for cancers outside the specified list, which includes esophageal, lung, urinary bladder, head and neck, and gastric cancers. - Does not cover immune therapies that use antibodies or other binding molecules to target the KRT5 peptide directly without involving activated T cells. ## The clever bit The novelty lies in identifying a specific peptide fragment (SEQ ID NO: 2) from the KRT5 protein, which is overexpressed in certain cancers, and then devising a precise in vitro method to activate a patient's own T cells to specifically recognize and kill cancer cells displaying this particular fragment. ## Real-world examples 1. Adoptive T-cell therapies 2. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies 3. T-cell receptor (TCR) based immunotherapies ## Why it matters This patent is significant because it outlines a specific approach within the rapidly growing field of cancer immunotherapy, particularly adoptive T-cell therapy. By identifying a specific tumor-associated peptide (from KRT5) and a method to train T cells against it, it offers a pathway for developing highly targeted treatments for difficult-to-treat cancers. This type of personalized or semi-personalized medicine aims to harness the body's own immune system to fight cancer more effectively and with potentially fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Training Immune Cells to Fight Specific Cancers cover? This patent describes a method to treat specific cancers like esophageal or lung cancer by creating specialized immune cells in the lab and giving them to patients to kill cancer cells that display a particular protein fragment. ### Who owns patent US 10364282? Immatics Biotechnologies owns this patent, granted in 2019. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on February 21, 2039, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 10364282 cited by? This patent has been cited by 2 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent is significant because it outlines a specific approach within the rapidly growing field of cancer immunotherapy, particularly adoptive T-cell therapy. By identifying a specific tumor-associated peptide (from KRT5) and a method to train T cells against it, it offers a pathway for developing highly targeted treatments for difficult-to-treat cancers. This type of personalized or semi-personalized medicine aims to harness the body's own immune system to fight cancer more effectively and with potentially fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover immunotherapy methods that target cancer cells without specifically relying on the KRT5 polypeptide (SEQ ID NO: 2). **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10364282/peptides-and-combination-of-peptides-for-use-in-immunotherapy-against-esophageal **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US10364282 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [Using Specific Immune Cells to Fight Cancers Like Lung and Breast Cancer](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11407807/peptides-and-combination-of-peptides-for-use-in-immunotherapy-against-various-tu) — This patent describes a method to treat specific cancers, including lung, breast, and ovarian cancer, by giving patients their own immune cells (T cells) that have been trained to recognize and destroy cancer cells presenting a unique protein fragment. - [How a Specific Protein Fragment Can Train Immune Cells to Fight Cancer](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10314897/peptides-and-combination-of-peptides-for-use-in-immunotherapy-against-various-ca) — This patent describes methods to fight various cancers by using a specific protein fragment (peptide LYHDIFSRL) to train a patient's immune cells to recognize and attack tumor cells. - [Treating Liver Cancer with Specially Trained Immune Cells](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12168044/peptides-and-combination-of-peptides-for-use-in-immunotherapy-against-non-small-) — This patent describes a method for treating hepatocellular cancer by giving patients specially activated immune cells that are trained to recognize and kill cancer cells displaying a specific protein fragment. - [How a Specific Peptide Boosts the Immune System Against Cancer](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11542303/peptides-and-combination-thereof-for-use-in-the-immunotherapy-against-cancers) — This patent describes a specific peptide sequence, KESDGFHRF, combined with immune-boosting substances and a safe delivery method, for use in treating cancer through immunotherapy. - [Targeting Liver and Bile Duct Cancers with Specific Immune Cells](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11560405/peptides-and-combination-thereof-for-use-in-the-immunotherapy-against-cancers-11560405) — This patent describes a method to treat liver and bile duct cancers by using specially activated immune cells that recognize a unique protein fragment found on these cancer cells.