Vaccines that activate the immune system play a key role in the prevention and treatment of human diseases. The development of cancer vaccines, however, have only been effective in virus-caused cancers such as human papillomavirus-induced cervical cancers. It has long been known that T cells play important roles in recognition and control of tumor cells (2001, Shankaran). Harnessing T-cells to target and kill specific cancer cell types (i.e., immunotherapy) has emerged at the forefront of novel cancer therapeutics. Traditional immunotherapy approaches involving the targeting of existing tumor epitopes has had limited success mainly due to the low T-cell avidity from thymic selection and central tolerance. The limited success of traditional immunotherapies outside of the viral-induced cancer types has created additional opportunities for new therapies to emerge.
In order to increase the quality and T-cell binding affinity of the tumor epitopes, researches began targeting ‘neoepitopes’ that result from non-synonymous mutations. During progression and carcinogenesis, tumors acquire random mutations [i.e., tumor-specific antigens (TSAs)] that are not encoded by the normal tumor genome. The mutations result in proteins that may serve as ‘neoantigens’ which are not subject thymic selection and central tolerance. T-cells that recognize tumor neoantigens are therefore likely to have high avidity.
The individualized nature of neoantigen immunotherapy typically requires 10-30 GMP-grade peptides (selected as neoantigens) to be manufactured for each patient. Peptide neoantigen therapy constitutes a significant paradigm-shift in GMP peptide manufacturing due to the need for multiple peptide sequence targets, rapid synthesis, and small-scale manufacturing (gram-scale).
With these changes in mind, CPC Scientific has launched our new neoantigen manufacturing platform with the following advantages:
- Rapid Manufacturing, QC, & Release
- Most Projects Completed in 3-4 Weeks
- Affordable Pricing for small-scale GMP projects
- Automated & Manual Synthesis
- Flexible & Adaptable Synthetic Approaches to Improve Success Rate
An integrated genomic, proteomic, and immunopeptidomic approach to discover treatment-induced neoantigens.
Olsson, N., Heberling, M.L., Zhang, L., Jhunjhunwala, S., Phung, Q.T., Lin, S., Anania, V.G., Lill, J.R. and Elias, J.E. Frontiers in Immunology 12 (2021): 662443.
CPC Scientific Inc. and UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Announce Neoantigen Peptide Collaboration
to Manufacture Neoantigen Peptides for the PANDA (Personalized and Adaptive) Cancer Vaccine Program.
SUNNYVALE, California, Feb. 19, 2019 – CPC Scientific Inc., a leading global CDMO specializing in synthetic peptide manufacturing, announced today that they will manufacture GMP-grade neoantigen peptides for investigators at UNC Lineberger Comprehesive Cancer Center (LCCC) for the […]
Neoantigen Overview Video
Immunotherapy- The Path To A Cancer Cure (For Clinicians)
This YouTube video and its producers are not affiliated with CPC Scientific Inc.
Created by Dr. Samir N. Khleif (Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center), in partnership with the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and Cancer Support Community, IMMUNOTHERAPY: The Path to a Cancer Cure explains the interplay between the immune system and cancer; mechanisms underlying immune-based agents; and different approaches to cancer immunotherapeutics. Patients: Watch the Patient version of this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afdq8Op-jQM