# 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. - **Patent:** US 11401319 - **Original title:** Peptides and combination of peptides for use in immunotherapy against esophageal cancer and other cancers - **Owner:** Immatics Biotechnologies - **Granted:** 2022 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 1 - **Field:** biotech, pharmaceutical, oncology, immunotherapy ## What it does 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 does NOT 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. ## Real-world examples 1. Immatics Biotechnologies' adoptive cell therapies 2. Other T-cell receptor (TCR) based immunotherapies 3. Personalized cancer vaccine development ## 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Training Immune Cells to Fight Specific Cancers cover? 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. ### Who owns patent US 11401319? Immatics Biotechnologies owns this patent, granted in 2022. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on December 17, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 11401319 cited by? This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? 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. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover treating cancers that do not overexpress, or produce too much of, the KRT14 or KRT16 proteins. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11401319/peptides-and-combination-of-peptides-for-use-in-immunotherapy-against-esophageal-11401319 **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US11401319 --- _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: - [Training Immune Cells to Fight Specific Cancers](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10364282/peptides-and-combination-of-peptides-for-use-in-immunotherapy-against-esophageal) — 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. - [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. - [Training Immune Cells to Fight Cancer Using Specific Markers](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10377797/cell-epitopes-and-combination-of-cell-epitopes-for-use-in-the-immunotherapy-of-m) — This patent describes a method to create a powerful immune response against cancer by taking a patient's own T cells, teaching them to recognize specific cancer markers outside the body, and then putting them back to kill cancer 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.