Technologies
This technology is therapeutic method to manipulate T cells a priori of disease-causing antigens for the treatment of immunological disease.
A major drawback of immunotherapeutic drugs used to treat autoimmune disorders or prevent rejection of organ transplants is unwanted suppression of protective immunity, such as reduced anti-infection and anti-tumor immunity. A previously described “avidity model” to understand how peripheral immune responses, to both self and foreign antigens, are regulated permits clinical interventions to treat autoimmune diseases by selectively inhibiting intermediate avidity T cells. However, while the recognition of T cell targets can be successfully blocked, the actual target structure that can be used for this technique is not known, limiting the development of additional therapies.
This technology is a therapeutic approach to treat immunological disorders without interfering with normal immune responses to foreign pathogens or the mechanisms of self non-self discrimination. Specifically, this technology provides a means to selectively regulate T cells and induce tolerance by utilizing a common target structure preferentially expressed on self-reactive T cells that induce autoimmune disease. This approach is based on the finding that HLA class I histocompatibility antigen alpha chain E (HLA-E) restricted CD8+ T cells can be manipulated to keep self-reactive T cells in check without abrogating the immune system’s capacity to react to the invasion of foreign pathogens. This technology can improve current treatments for immune disorders, such as graft rejection, cancer, and AIDS, by increasing specificity and reducing side effects.
This technology has been validated in vivo in several mouse models of autoimmune disorders.
IR 1779-a
Licensing Contact: Ofra Weinberger