Repertoire® Immune Medicines Identifies Novel Immune Targets Involved in Pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes

Proprietary DECODE™ platform used to identify previously unknown epitopes and T cell receptors in the peripheral blood and in pancreatic islets from early and advanced T1D patients, providing potential new targets for immune medicines

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Repertoire Immune Medicines today announced its discovery of previously unidentified epitopes involved in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The research was conducted with Repertoire’s DECODE™ platform and will be presented at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS 2022).

“Immune-based medicines that target the mechanisms that underlie autoimmune diseases offer the potential to slow down or even halt disease progression,” said Anthony Coyle, Ph.D., President, Research and Development, Repertoire Immune Medicines. “Our DECODE platform allows us to identify the specificity of T cells that cause the dysregulated immune response underlying type 1 diabetes. The novel targets we discovered are also present in recently diagnosed patients, suggesting these epitopes may be viable targets to treat patients early in the course of their disease before tissue damage becomes extensive.”

In autoimmune diseases like T1D, T cells target and damage healthy cells. While it is not fully understood why this occurs, it is known that T cells are activated by antigens that are inappropriately recognized by the immune system as foreign. T cells respond to the immunodominant epitopes present in these antigens. By identifying these epitopes, it may be possible to develop new antigen-specific treatments that stop the immune system from damaging healthy cells and change the course of T1D.

Using the DECODE platform, Repertoire scientists analyzed the peripheral blood T cell repertoire of T1D patients using DNA barcoded libraries containing hundreds of curated epitopes. A subset of these epitopes are prevalent, common and shared across patients. In addition, T cells of the same specificity were also present in pancreatic islet cells.

Repertoire is investigating optimal modalities to deliver immune medicines that target the identified epitopes and potentially treat T1D. This research is detailed in the DECODE data presentations at FOCIS 2022:

Oral Presentation: Understanding the T cell Repertoire in Autoimmune Diseases Using High-Dimensional Single-Cell Analysis of Antigen-Specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells
Date: June 23, 2022
Session: Mechanisms of Immune Dysregulation, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. PT

Poster #177: Understanding the T cell Repertoire in Autoimmune Diseases Using High-Dimensional Single-Cell Analysis of Antigen-Specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells
Date: June 23, 2022
Poster Session: 6:15 – 7:30 p.m. PT

About the DECODE™ Platform

The DECODE platform is a powerful discovery engine that characterizes essential elements of the immune synapse. In particular, the platform identifies T cell receptor-antigen pairs in the context of other important features of the immune synapse, such as T cell function and how these antigens are presented by molecules on antigen-presenting cells, known as major human leukocyte antigen, or HLA, molecules. Repertoire intends to utilize these insights into key drivers that govern immune function to design and develop novel immune product candidates.

About Repertoire Immune Medicines

Repertoire Immune Medicines is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to creating treatments for diseases based on the power of the human T cell repertoire to eliminate cancer cells, target pathogens and regulate immune function.

When diseased cells are present, the immune system is activated through the intricate and complex biological process known as the immune synapse – the interaction between specific T cells and the corresponding antigen-presenting cells that dictate T cell activity. By mapping this process, we can identify the specific T cell-antigen pairs that are successful at responding to infection or those that are causing illness, in the case of autoimmune disease.

Repertoire’s proprietary DECODE™ technology platform provides a comprehensive understanding of the full repertoire of interactions between T cell receptors and their antigen targets. We believe the ability to decode these interactions represents one of the greatest opportunities for innovation in medical science.

Repertoire’s team operates from sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Zurich, Switzerland and uses its DECODE technology to rationally design treatments for cancers, autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases.

To learn more about Repertoire, please visit our website: www.repertoire.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.