How a Specific Peptide Can Train Your Immune System to Fight Cancer
This patent describes a specific nine-amino-acid peptide, ALFETLIQL, and its use in compositions to help the immune system's T cells recognize and attack tumor cells.
Original patent title: “Peptides and combination of peptides for use in immunotherapy against various tumors”
This patent describes a specific nine-amino-acid peptide, ALFETLIQL, and its use in compositions to help the immune system's T cells recognize and attack tumor cells. Granted to Immatics Biotechnologies in 2024 with 23 claims and 1 forward citation, and it is expected to expire in 2041.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → a specific peptide, ALFETLIQL (identified as SEQ ID NO: 214), which is a short chain of amino acids. This peptide is designed to be in a pharmaceutically acceptable salt form, like a chloride or acetate salt (ClaimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1, 3, 4). The patent explains that this peptide can bind to a special protein on cell surfaces called an MHC class-I molecule, and when it's bound, it can be recognized by CD8 T cells, which are a type of immune cell that kills infected or cancerous cells (Claim 2). The patent also covers compositions that include this peptide along with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, which is like a safe delivery vehicle for the body (Claim 5). These compositions can also include other helper substances called adjuvants, such as IL-2 or IL-12, to boost the immune response (Claim 8). For example, this peptide could be part of a vaccine designed to teach a patient's immune system to target specific cancer cells displaying this peptide.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover any other peptide sequence for cancer immunotherapy besides ALFETLIQL (SEQ ID NO: 214).
- Does not cover methods of cancer treatment that do not involve this specific ALFETLIQL peptide or its compositions.
- Does not cover the use of the ALFETLIQL peptide if it's not in a pharmaceutically acceptable salt form or part of a composition with a carrier.
- Does not cover the use of this peptide if it does not bind to an MHC class-I molecule or is not recognized by CD8 T cells.
- Does not cover immunotherapy approaches that do not rely on stimulating the patient's own T cells to recognize tumor-associated peptides.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The clever bit is the identification and specific claiming of the ALFETLIQL peptide (SEQ ID NO: 214) as a unique 'flag' on tumor cells that can be recognized by the immune system's CD8 T cells when presented by MHC class-I molecules. This specificity allows for highly targeted immune responses against cancer.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Peptide-based cancer vaccines
Adoptive T-cell therapies using ex vivo expanded T cells
Immunotherapies developed by Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH
Targeted oncology treatments
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent focuses on a highly specific approach to cancer immunotherapy, which aims to harness the body's own immune system to fight tumors. By identifying and claiming a particular tumor-associated peptide, it contributes to the development of targeted therapies. Such peptides can be crucial components for cancer vaccines or for training T cells outside the body before reintroducing them to patients, offering a precise way to attack cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy tissue.
Filed
August 6, 2021
Granted
June 11, 2024
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH, the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →, is actively developing T-cell receptor (TCR) based immunotherapies, including peptide-based vaccines and adoptive cell therapies, for various cancers. Other companies in the oncology space, especially those focused on personalized medicine and neoantigen-based vaccines, are also exploring similar strategies to identify and utilize tumor-specific peptides to train the immune system.
Market impact
The filing and granting of patents like this contribute to the growing market for targeted cancer immunotherapies. By securing intellectual property around specific tumor-associated peptides, companies can develop novel drug candidates, potentially leading to new treatment options for patients. This patent helps to define a specific area within the competitive landscape of cancer drug development, encouraging further research into peptide-based vaccines and T-cell therapies, and potentially enabling new product lines for the assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent claims a specific peptide, ALFETLIQL (identified as SEQ ID NO: 214), which is a short chain of amino acids. This peptide is designed to be in a pharmaceutically acceptable salt form, like a chloride or acetate salt (Claim 1, 3, 4). The patent explains that this peptide can bind to a special protein on cell surfaces called an MHC class-I molecule, and when it's bound, it can be recognized by CD8 T cells, which are a type of immune cell that kills infected or cancerous cells (Claim 2). The patent also covers compositions that include this peptide along with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, which is like a safe delivery vehicle for the body (Claim 5). These compositions can also include other helper substances called adjuvants, such as IL-2 or IL-12, to boost the immune response (Claim 8). For example, this peptide could be part of a vaccine designed to teach a patient's immune system to target specific cancer cells displaying this peptide.
The clever bit
The clever bit is the identification and specific claiming of the ALFETLIQL peptide (SEQ ID NO: 214) as a unique 'flag' on tumor cells that can be recognized by the immune system's CD8 T cells when presented by MHC class-I molecules. This specificity allows for highly targeted immune responses against cancer.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover any other peptide sequence for cancer immunotherapy besides ALFETLIQL (SEQ ID NO: 214).
- Does not cover methods of cancer treatment that do not involve this specific ALFETLIQL peptide or its compositions.
- Does not cover the use of the ALFETLIQL peptide if it's not in a pharmaceutically acceptable salt form or part of a composition with a carrier.
- Does not cover the use of this peptide if it does not bind to an MHC class-I molecule or is not recognized by CD8 T cells.
- Does not cover immunotherapy approaches that do not rely on stimulating the patient's own T cells to recognize tumor-associated peptides.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Moderate
Citation count
6/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
15/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$176K – $562K
Midpoint $351K · 14.8 yr remaining · industry ×3.0
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
23 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Schoor, O., Singh, H., MAHR, A., STEVERMANN, L., Weinschenk, T., & FRITSCHE, J. (2024). How a Specific Peptide Can Train Your Immune System to Fight Cancer (U.S. Patent No. 12,006,349). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12006349/peptides-and-combination-of-peptides-for-use-in-immunotherapy-against-various-tu-12006349
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How a Specific Peptide Can Train Your Immune System to Fight Cancer cover?
This patent describes a specific nine-amino-acid peptide, ALFETLIQL, and its use in compositions to help the immune system's T cells recognize and attack tumor cells.
Who owns patent US 12006349?
Immatics Biotechnologies owns this patent, granted in 2024.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on August 6, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 12006349 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 1 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent focuses on a highly specific approach to cancer immunotherapy, which aims to harness the body's own immune system to fight tumors. By identifying and claiming a particular tumor-associated peptide, it contributes to the development of targeted therapies. Such peptides can be crucial components for cancer vaccines or for training T cells outside the body before reintroducing them to patients, offering a precise way to attack cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy tissue.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover any other peptide sequence for cancer immunotherapy besides ALFETLIQL (SEQ ID NO: 214).
Same assignee
More from Immatics Biotechnologies
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