Training Immune Cells to Fight Specific Cancers

This patent describes a method to treat certain cancers, like esophageal cancer, by training a patient's own immune cells in the lab to recognize and kill cancer cells that have specific protein markers.

What it covers

This patent claims a method for treating patients with specific cancers, including esophageal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, particularly when these cancers produce too much of the KRT14 or KRT16 proteins containing the STYGGGLSV peptide (SEQ ID NO: 1). The treatment involves administering a population of activated T cells to the patient. These T cells are cytotoxic, meaning they kill cancer cells, and are produced by contacting CD8+ T cells with an antigen-presenting cell in a lab setting, where the antigen-presenting cell displays the STYGGGLSV peptide linked to an MHC class I molecule. This process trains the T cells to specifically target and kill the cancer cells.

What it doesn't cover

• —Does not cover treating cancers that do not overexpress, or produce too much of, the KRT14 or KRT16 proteins.
• —Does not cover T cells that are activated directly inside the patient's body; the activation must occur in a lab setting (in vitro).
• —Does not cover using a different cancer-targeting peptide than the specific STYGGGLSV sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1).
• —Does not cover T cells that are not of the CD8+ type, which is a specific kind of immune cell.
• —Does not cover methods that use T cells that are not designed to directly kill cancer cells (cytotoxic T cells).

The clever bit

The novelty lies in identifying a specific short protein sequence, STYGGGLSV, derived from KRT14 or KRT16 proteins, as a target for T cells in particular cancers. The patent then describes a precise method to activate a patient's own T cells outside the body to recognize and attack cells displaying this specific target.

Why it matters

This patent contributes to the field of cancer immunotherapy, which uses the body's own immune system to fight cancer. By identifying specific peptide targets on cancer cells and a method to train T cells against them, it offers a pathway for highly targeted and potentially more effective treatments for specific cancer types. This approach is part of a broader movement towards personalized medicine, where treatments are tailored to the unique characteristics of a patient's tumor.

Real-world examples

• 1.Immatics Biotechnologies' adoptive cell therapies
• 2.Other T-cell receptor (TCR) based immunotherapies
• 3.Personalized cancer vaccine development