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.

What it 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.

What it doesn't 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.

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.

Why it matters

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.

Real-world examples

• 1.Peptide-based cancer vaccines
• 2.Adoptive T-cell therapies using ex vivo expanded T cells
• 3.Immunotherapies developed by Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH
• 4.Targeted oncology treatments