Summary:

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) seeks co-development partners and licensees for a human cytotoxic T lymphocyte agonist epitope from the C-terminal subunit of mucin 1 (MUC1-C), which can be used as a peptide, polypeptide (protein), in a cancer vaccine or T-cell targeted therapy to target many tumor types.

Description of Technology:

Many human carcinomas and hematologic malignancies overexpress mucin 1 (MUC1), a transmembrane glycoprotein composed of heterodimers formed by a large, N-terminal subunit (MUC1-N) and a smaller, C-terminal subunit (MUC1-C). In tumors, the MUC-1 heterodimer becomes abnormally hypoglycosylated – leading to the exposure of antigenic epitopes to the immune system. Aberrant MUC1 expression, and in particular its MUC1-C subunit, has been associated with poor prognosis and correlates with cancer metastasis – further establishing MUC1 as a target for cancer therapy.

Inventors at the National Cancer Institute have identified epitopes of MUC1-C and enhancer agonist peptides that can activate cytotoxic T lymphocytes. These epitopes and enhancers may be suitable to develop into immunotherapies, such as cancer vaccines against various malignancies. In particular, the agonist peptides are expected to further enhance responses in patients when used in vaccines or T-cell therapy. The epitopes span the human leukocyte antigen HLA-A24 allele and facilitate recognition of MUC1-C in the context of HLA-A24.

This technology is available for collaboration and licensing opportunities.

Potential Commercial Applications:

• Treatment of MUC1-expressing cancers
• Cancer vaccine compositions
• MUC1-targeting epitopes and agonists
• Activation of cytotoxic T cell response as an enhanced cancer treatment

Competitive Advantages:

• Agonist epitopes can be incorporated into various vaccine platforms
• Agonist epitopes can be used for the ex vivo generation of human T cells
• Epitopes span the HLA-A24 allele and facilitate recognition and killing of human tumor cells in an MHC-restricted manner