Theranostic Immune Cell

Recent studies on the developments of immune mobilizing monoclonal T-cell receptors against cancer (ImmTAC), bispecific T-cell receptors (TCR) engagers, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cell-based therapies, have highlighted their potential to treat Multiple Myeloma (MM). These treatments, however, are expensive.

The manufacturing processes that are employed for their generation are lengthy, and their commercial scale production is reliant on a multitude of equipment and operators that cannot easily be incorporated in the footprint of most local hospitals. Moreover, patient responses to these treatments remain heterogenous.

We propose an innovative multidisciplinary approach that aims to develop a novel theranostic immune-cell based compound.

This approach is based on the functionalization of the immune cells with theranostic ultrasmall macromolecules (USM); USM having a diameter size below 10 nm to allow renal clearance and minimize toxicity.

The clinically-relevant imaging properties of the USM will allow to unveil various challenges remaining in the field of immunotherapy, such as to better elucidate the priming sites of immune cells, to track their migration in the body, as well as to localize their niche upon the establishment of minimal residual disease.

By labelling the immune cells ex vivo, the diagnostic imaging properties enabled by the presence of the USM on the immune cell surface will allow to generate better ex vivo immune cells therapeutics (such as simili-CAR NK cells) with a rationalized target selection, will improve the cell dosing, and will help to better stratify the patient population in order to offer an improved personalized treatment plan.