Innovative Engineering of Immune Cells for Potent Cancer Treatment
Targeting Cancer in a Specific, Efficient and Durable Manner
At Tactiva Therapeutics, we are taking the fight to cancer by developing “Next Generation” adoptive cell therapy (ACT) strategies that deliver lethal hits to cancer cells. Our approach provides robust and sustained immune attack on tumors by infusing large numbers of patients’ own T cells that have been re-programed to recognize, attack and destroy cancer cells.
Current ACT approaches in immunotherapy focus primarily on developing anti-tumor CD8 T cell responses while overlooking the critical role of helper CD4 T cells. Tactiva Therapeutics utilizes a unique class of CD4 T cells that not only enhance the anti-tumor function of CD8 T cells, but also exhibit a capacity to directly target the tumor cells.
Tactiva Therapeutics has identified a library of T cell receptors (TCRs) from both CD8 T cells (CD8-TCRs) and CD4 T cells (CD4-TCRs) that specifically recognize and attack cancer cells. Activity from the CD4-TCRs augments the anti-tumor function of the CD8-TCRs to increase the overall potency of our “Next Generation” adoptive T cell therapy platform. In addition to genetic modification of patients’ mature T cells for adoptive cell therapy, the Tactiva approach also includes reprograming patient derived hematopoietic stem (HSCs) with the unique TCRs. As the reprogramed HSCs mature in vivo, they become a continual, long term source of cancer fighting T cells that bear Tactiva’s TCRs, leading to sustained attack on cancer cells. Collectively, the Tactiva platform harnesses the synergistic effects of CD8-TCRs and CD4-TCRs, and HSC derived T cells, to provide durable remission for cancer patients.
Tactiva’s Adoptive T Cell Therapy Platform Exhibits Unique Properties:
Enhanced anti-tumor function via combined administration of CD8 and CD4 TCRs
Preclinical data demonstrates cytotoxic function with CD4-TCRs, resulting in total tumor suppression when given by themselves. In our approach, two engineered T cell products (CD4-TCRs and CD8 TCRs) are administered to patients, resulting in highly efficacious and sustained tumor control.
Utilization of hematopoietic derived T cells
In addition to using mature T cells bearing Tactiva’s TCRs for ACT, the platform includes the use of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) for deploying the TCRs. The HSCs become a long-term source of replenishing anti-tumor T cells (bearing Tactiva’s TCRs), and these serve to provide sustained and durable remission from cancer.
We harness the potent therapeutic synergy of CD4-TCRs and CD8-TCRs for the treatment of solid tumors. Learn more »