Tumor-Specific Peptide Epitopes for High-Affinity MHC Binding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current immunotherapies for various cancers, such as glioblastoma, colorectal cancer, and non-small cell lung cancer, face challenges in eliciting effective anti-tumor immune responses due to limited specificity and over-expression of tumor-associated antigens, leading to inadequate clinical benefits and significant side effects.
Innovation Solution
Development of novel peptide sequences and their variants derived from HLA class I molecules of human tumor cells, which are used in vaccine compositions to stimulate anti-tumor immune responses or as targets for immunologically active compounds, focusing on peptides that bind to MHC molecules and induce T-cell responses with high specificity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional immunotherapies target tumor-associated antigens, then anti-tumor immune responses are elicited, but the responses lack sufficient specificity and cause significant side effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tumor-associated antigens into specific peptide epitopes that are presented by HLA class I molecules. By focusing on these discrete peptide segments rather than the entire protein, the immunotherapy achieves high specificity for tumor cells while minimizing off-target effects on normal tissues, thus reducing side effects while maintaining reliable anti-tumor response.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by targeting specific peptide sequences derived from HLA class I molecules that are uniquely expressed or over-expressed in tumor cells. This localized targeting approach ensures that the immune response is directed precisely at tumor-specific epitopes, improving specificity and reducing harmful effects on healthy tissues.
2Quantity of substance
If tumor-associated antigens are over-expressed in tumors, then immunotherapy targets are available, but the antigens are not sufficiently specific to tumor cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts specific peptide epitopes from the larger tumor-associated protein sequences. By taking out only the critical peptide segments that are presented by HLA class I molecules and are unique to tumor cells, the therapy achieves high specificity despite the over-expression of broader tumor-associated antigens. This extraction process filters out non-specific components while retaining tumor-specific immunogenicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of molecular size and specificity by focusing on short peptide sequences (typically 8-12 amino acids) rather than full-length proteins. This parameter change enables the immune system to recognize and respond to highly specific tumor-derived epitopes with high affinity, improving targeting specificity while maintaining the quantity of antigenic material needed for effective immunotherapy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These peptides enhance the specificity and efficacy of anti-tumor immune responses, potentially leading to improved clinical outcomes with reduced side effects by targeting tumor-specific antigens with high affinity, thereby overcoming the limitations of existing immunotherapies.
Implementation Method 1
Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules
Implementation Method 2
which can be used in vaccine compositions for eliciting anti-tumor immune responses, or as targets for the development of pharmaceutically/immunologically active compounds and cells
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that can for example serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, or to stimulate T cells ex vivo and transfer into patients. Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules.