Lead Inventor: Dr. Nicole Suciu-Foca
Immunological response enhancement to treat autoimmune disorders:
Immunological tolerance is the ability of an individual to differentiate 'self' from 'non-self'.
Loss of this tolerance leads to the immune system mounting an immunogenic attack against
itself. Patients undergoing transplants or whom have autoimmune diseases have heightened
immunological tolerance and require immunosuppressive or anti-inflammatory therapies.
Unfortunately these therapies are largely palliative and often non-specific. Conversely, patients
with cancer or chronic viral diseases have suppressed immune systems which inhibit their ability
to fight detrimental pathogens. These patients are immunocompromised and are vulnerable to
opportunistic infection. Enhancing the immunological response in these patients enhances their
ability to fight infection. Immunoglobulin is currently the common treatment, but is expensive and
has numerous side effects.
Treatment for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis:
Through modulation of a cellular factor which inhibits the immune response, both patients
with autoimmune disorders or are immunocompromised can both successfully be treated. ILT3 is
an immunoreceptor from the leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor (LIR) family. It has been
shown that ILT3 induces a state of immune unresponsiveness in T-cells, which are responsible
for cell-mediated immunity. ILT3 converts these cells into regulatory, or suppressor T cells which
act to suppress activation of the immune system. This invention uses soluble ILT3, or sILT3, as a
treatment to inhibit immunological response in patients with heightened immunological tolerance.
The invention also provides a method for treating disease by depletion of sILT3 to heighten the
immunological response in patients with compromised immune systems. Diseases are also
treated by enhancing immune responses by administering an anti-ILT3 antibody.
Features:
• Administration of sILT3 can treat patients with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid
arthritis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or the onset of type I juvenile diabetes mellitus
• Administration of sILT3 can treat patients undergoing transplants, as the immune response
will attack foreign, ‘non-self’ tissue, and inhibition of this response reduces the potential for
rejection
• Depletion of sILT3 can treat patients with numerous types of cancer
• Depletion of sILT3 can treat patients with chronic viral diseases such as HIV, hepatitis C,
hepatitis B, or AIDS
• Antibodies can be made from purified soluble ILT3 to decrease sILT3 levels in patients
Advantages:
• Specific for targeting T-cells
• Treatment can be done ex vivo using patients own blood and then reinfused
• Reduced side effects as compared to alternative treatments
• Infusion occurs only when needed or at onset of symptoms