CAR-T therapy is an immunotherapy that faces significant limitations, including severe toxicities and the risk of relapse if cancer cells lose the target protein. Additionally, the treatment is hampered by high costs and a complex, time-consuming manufacturing process that limits patient access. In this context, the developed technology consists of a modular CAR-T system to overcome these limitations.
The developed system separates the universal signaling module from the interchangeable recognition module, assembling them covalently using inteins through protein trans-splicing. This “scarless” bond preserves the native CAR architecture and avoids the risk of immunogenicity associated with other adapters. In addition, it allows for the reorientation of specificity or co-assembly of multiple targets (e.g., BCMA and SLAMF7) with orthogonal intein pairs, reducing antigenic escape.
The platform facilitates the creation of universal “off-the-shelf” allogeneic products, where a large-scale manufactured signaling module can be quickly re-equipped with specific recognition modules.
The team is currently conducting in vivo assays in mice and has obtained favorable results in the corresponding preliminary in vitro assays.
Benefits:
- Covalent co-assembly of inteins significantly reduces antigenic escape and improves therapeutic robustness against tumor heterogeneity.
- Compatibility with universal allogeneic “off-the-shelf” CAR products, enhancing availability, standardization, and cost efficiency.
- The modularity of the system offers precise control of safety and activity, allowing dose discontinuation in cases of toxicity.
- Potential for therapeutic expansion in hematological malignancies, solid tumors, autoimmune diseases, and transplants.
The represented institution is looking for a collaboration that leads to commercial exploitation of the presented invention.
Institution: Universidad de Cádiz
TRL: 4-5
Protection Status: European Patent Application
Contacto: Noelia Mas / noelia@viromii.com