T cells are highly potent immune effector cells. Many immunotherapies therefore rely on harnessing them for the destruction of cancer cells. However, tumours often create a hostile microenvironment in order to fight off T cells. They emit checkpoint proteins (such as PD-L1), that diminish or block T-cell activity. Prof. Elfriede Nößner and her team from the Helmholtz Zentrum München have developed a fusion protein, PD-1/4-1BB, that can reverse this ‘stop’ command into a ‘go’ signal. Used as a co-stimulator, it could increase the effectiveness of diverse T-cell therapies.
At the end of 2018 Ascenion’s technology managers mediated the negotiation of a licensing agreement with Medigene. This gives the company exclusive rights to use PD-1/4-1BB as a co-stimulator in combination with T cell receptor therapies and dendritic cell-based vaccines. The concept is currently in preclinical testing.
(Annual Review 2018)
