# 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. - **Patent:** US 12006349 - **Original title:** Peptides and combination of peptides for use in immunotherapy against various tumors - **Owner:** Immatics Biotechnologies - **Granted:** 2024 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 1 - **Field:** biotech, pharmaceutical, telecommunications ## What it does 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 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. ## 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. ## 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 ## 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. ## 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). **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12006349/peptides-and-combination-of-peptides-for-use-in-immunotherapy-against-various-tu-12006349 **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US12006349 --- _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. - [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. - [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. - [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.