Repertoire® Immune Medicines Enters New Research Collaboration to Discover the T Cell Response to Therapy in HPV-Associated Cancers

Repertoire’s DECODE™ technology will be used to identify the specific T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in early-stage cancers treated with chemotherapy-radiation and mid- to late-stage cancers treated with anti-PD-1 therapy

Identification of T cell receptors, epitopes and antigens involved in each stage of disease progression and during treatment can inform the development of novel therapeutics and improve selection of patient treatment

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Repertoire Immune Medicines today announced its research collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) to identify the immune system’s response at various stages of human papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) cancer, including initial oncogenesis and after successful treatment.

The research collaboration aims to identify the antigens present on tumors as well as the T cells and specific T cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize tumor-specific antigens. Using Repertoire’s DECODE™ platform to map the adaptive immune system’s response can inform the development of novel cell-based therapeutics by confirming the relevant targets for cell-based treatments.

“Understanding the adaptive immune system’s response to cancer allows us to see how it initially responds to diseased cells. When cancer spreads, it is a signal that the immune system can no longer recognize or defend against the cancer,” said Anthony Coyle, Ph.D., President, Research and Development, Repertoire Immune Medicines. “The goal of this research collaboration between Memorial Sloan Kettering and Repertoire is to identify the TCR-antigen pairs that are activated when the immune system is successful in fighting HPV+ cancers. This discovery may lead to new cell therapies and give us insight into why some patients respond successfully to currently available treatments, while others have poor or no response to treatment.”

Repertoire’s research collaboration with MSK will also seek to identify the TCR repertoire that is engaged and results in successful treatment outcomes with anti-PD-1 treatment and with conventional chemotherapy-radiation treatment. By identifying cancer-specific epitopes and the T cells that recognize these epitopes in successfully treated patients, it may be possible to define the optimal immunogenic profile for a proposed treatment. This map of the immune system’s response could inform treatment considerations for patients with inadequately treated disease.

“Through this collaboration with Repertoire, we hope to identify the TCR-antigen pairs that successfully protect from tumor formation in patients at various stages of their cancer,” said Nadeem Riaz, MD, MSc., Director for Precision Radiotherapy at MSK. “By identifying the relevant TCR-antigen pairs, we may be able to improve the specificity of patient treatment, which could lead to improved outcomes.”

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. With our proprietary DECODE™ platform 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.

The DECODE 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.