\This technology is a peptide-based therapeutic that remodels the tumor microenvironment to sensitize resistant solid tumors, such as pancreatic cancer, to existing immunotherapies.
While immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized patient outcomes, their efficacy against solid tumors like pancreatic cancer is severely limited by the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that blocks cytotoxic T-cells. Systemically depleting immunological barriers such as regulatory T cells or TGF-β signaling to overcome this resistance can result in autoimmune toxicities and can accelerate disease progression. Consequently, there is a critical need for targeted, tumor-localized TME modulators that can safely dismantle this protective barrier to sensitize tumors to immunotherapies.
This technology utilizes a targeted tumor-penetrating peptide (iRGD) to selectively degrade the physical and immunological barriers within desmoplastic solid tumors. The peptide functions by engaging receptors specifically localized within the tumor microenvironment to inhibit the activation of TGF-β and disrupt regulatory T-cell (Treg) stability. By restricting this pathway inhibition to the tumor site, the technology effectively depletes immunosuppressive intratumoral Tregs and reduces dense tumor fibers without disrupting normal immune functions. This localized immunomodulation improves vascular perfusion and enables cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells to successfully infiltrate the tumor.
This technology has been validated in vivo using mouse models of pancreatic cancer.
Patent Pending (US20240000883)
IR CU26104
Licensing Contact: Jerry Kokoshka
