Targeting PTPN22 in Cancer Therapy

Unmet Need
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) such as B-cells, T-cells, and natural killers are gaining traction in anti-tumor immune responses. TILs involve the use of special immune cells called T-cells, otherwise known as lymphocytes, which protect the body from viral infections, fight cancer, and coordinate the activities of other cells during an immune response. Effective cancer immunotherapy requires robust effector T cell responses which critically involves T cell receptor signaling. TILs may offer a new target for cancer immunotherapy – to allow the precise killing of cells through tumor antigen recognition – and may also serve as a prognostic biomarker in a variety of cancers. The inventors have proposed a way to enhance TILs activity via inhibition of a specific protein tyrosine phosphatase located in lymphocytes. This novel method can be used in tandem with other immunotherapy technology, such as checkpoint inhibitors, to serve as an effective immunotherapy treatment.

Technology Overview
The inventors have shown the knockout of the specific protein in mice, exhibited significantly inhibited tumor growth compared to wildtype mice. This finding was associated with increased presence of TILs, suggesting that the underlying mechanism indeed involves cancer-specific T cell responses. Furthermore, when combined with a well-known checkpoint inhibitor, which is a standard immunotherapy agent used for the treatment of multiple types of cancers, the knockout mice have significantly augmented suppression of tumor growth compared to that of wildtype mice. This suggests that the specific protein is a viable target for immunotherapeutic treatment of cancers and that a combination of this specific protein and checkpoint inhibitors would be an effective immunotherapy than with either agents alone.


Stage of Development
The inventors have identified, through knockout mice data and combinatorial use of checkpoint inhibitors, a new target for cancer therapy. The inhibition of the specific protein gives enhanced levels of TILs.
 

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