Technologies
This technology uses chimeric antigen receptor regulatory T cells (CAR Tregs) against swine leukocyte antigens (SLA) to induce immune tolerance and reduce rejection in xenotransplantation.
The demand for organ transplantation far exceeds the available human organs, highlighting the need for alternative donor organ sources. Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of organs from other animals into humans, with advances made using transgenic pigs. However, a major obstacle preventing its clinical implementation is the immune rejection of pig organs by the human body. Safe strategies to induce immune tolerance will be essential to make xenotransplantation a reliable source of donor organs and overcome the current shortage.
This technology uses chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) Tregs to promote immune tolerance to pig organs in xenotransplantation. The human CAR Tregs are engineered to recognize class-I swine leukocyte antigen (SLA), allowing them to selectively suppress immune responses against swine cells with lower risk of inducing general immunosuppression. An additional modification to delete the CD2 surface protein makes cells resistant to T cell depleting conditioning regimens and further enhances their immunosuppressive function. By reducing immune rejection, this technology has the potential to improve xenograft survival, increase transplant success, and support the clinical application of xenotransplantation.
This technology has been validated in vitro using human donor PBMCs and in a mouse model with humanized immune system.
Patent Pending(WO/2026/064255)
IR CU25017, CU21212
Licensing Contact: Jerry Kokoshka