Live Attenuated Bacteria Enhance Immunotherapy Efficacy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current immunotherapies for cancer, such as checkpoint inhibitor therapies and CAR T-cell therapies, often suffer from side effects due to autoimmune toxicities and inability to distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells, and are not effective for a significant proportion of patients due to complex cancer types, patient health conditions, and cancer cells' ability to evade the immune system.

Innovation Solution

Administering a live attenuated Gram-negative bacterium in combination with checkpoint inhibitor therapy, adoptive cell therapy, and/or allogeneic or autologous CAR T-cell therapy, either simultaneously, separately, or sequentially, to enhance anti-tumor activity and improve treatment efficacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If immunotherapy is administered to treat cancer, then anti-tumor efficacy is improved, but autoimmune toxicities and side effects increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanti-tumor efficacyVSAvoidautoimmune toxicities

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a live attenuated Gram-negative bacterium as an intermediary agent that modulates the immune system's response to cancer therapy. This bacterium acts as a mediator between the immunotherapy and the tumor, enhancing anti-tumor efficacy while reducing autoimmune toxicities by regulating immune activation and preventing excessive immune responses against healthy tissues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If immunotherapy is administered to treat cancer, then cancer cells are targeted, but inability to distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells causes quality of life impairment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecancer targeting capabilityVSAvoidcollateral damage to healthy cells

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by enabling the immune system to distinguish and target cancer cells with enhanced specificity. The live attenuated Gram-negative bacterium modifies immune cell characteristics locally at the tumor site, improving the ability to recognize and attack cancerous cells while preserving healthy tissues, thereby reducing collateral damage and improving quality of life.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Productivity

If traditional immunotherapy is used, then treatment is provided, but refractory patients show little to no response

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetreatment response rateVSAvoidefficacy in refractory patients

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes key parameters of the immune system through administration of a live attenuated Gram-negative bacterium. This bacterial intervention modifies immune cell activation states, cytokine profiles, and immune memory characteristics, transforming the immune system's response parameters to enable effective treatment in previously refractory patients who showed little to no response to standard immunotherapy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12214001B2Cancer therapy

Publication Date: 2025.02.04 PROKARIUM LTD

AI summary

The present invention relates to the field of cancer therapy. In particular, the present invention relates to a live attenuated Gram-negative bacterium for use in the treatment, reduction, inhibition or control of a neoplastic disease in a subject undergoing or intended to undergo immunotherapy with a checkpoint inhibitor therapy, an adoptive T cell therapy and/or an allogeneic or an autologous CAR-T therapy simultaneously, separately or sequentially with the administration of the live attenuated Gram-negative bacterium.