You are here

Share:

Multi-epitope Vaccines against TARP (ME-TARP) for Treating Prostate and Breast Cancer

Primary tabs

Summary
Researchers at the NCI have developed a treatment for prostate and breast cancer using multivalent peptides derived from TARP, the T cell receptor gamma alternate reading frame protein. These immunogenic peptides from TARP elicit an immune response, triggering T cells to kill only the cancer cells within a patient. NCI seeks licensees or co-development partners to commercialize this invention.
NIH Reference Number
E-047-2014
Product Type
Keywords
  • cancer vaccine, immunotherapy, prostate cancer, breast cancer
Collaboration Opportunity
This invention is available for licensing and co-development.
Contact
Description of Technology

The development of more targeted means of treating cancer is vital. One option for a targeted treatment is the creation of a vaccine that induces an immune response only against cancer cells. In this sense, vaccination involves the introduction of a peptide into a patient that causes the formation of antibodies or T cells that recognize the peptide. If the peptide is from a protein found selectively on/in cancer cells, those antibodies or T cells can trigger the death of those cancer cells without harming non-cancer cells. This can result in fewer side effects for the patient.

TARP (T cell receptor gamma alternate reading frame protein) is a protein that is selectively expressed on the cells of about 95% of prostate cancers and about 50% of breast cancers. This invention concerns the identification of a combination of seven (7) immunogenic peptides within TARP and their use to create an anti-cancer immune response in patients. The vaccine includes two synthetic 9-mer TARP peptides covered by E-116-2003 and five additional 20-mer peptides overlapping by 10-mer and covering the entire 58-residue sequence of the TARP protein.  Because the additional peptides are overlapping, they can stimulate both humoral and cellular killing responses.  By introducing these seven peptides into a patient, an immune response against these cancer cells can be initiated by the peptides, resulting in treatment of the cancer.  

NCI seeks licensees or co-development partners to commercialize this invention.

Potential Commercial Applications
  • Peptides can be used as vaccines to induce an immune response against cancer.
  • Treatment of any cancer associated with increased or preferential expression of TARP.
  • Specific diseases include breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Competitive Advantages
  • Targeted therapy decreases non-specific killing of healthy, essential cells, resulting in fewer non-specific side-effects and healthier patients
  • Not restricted to tissue type
  • Use of multiple peptides permits production of a more thorough complement of T cells against the antigen
Inventor(s)

Jay Berzofsky (NCI), Masaki Terabe (NCI), Lauren Wood (NCI), Brenda Roberson (NCI)

Development Stage
Publications

Wood L, et al. [PMC5007958]

Epel M et al. [PMID 18446790]

Oh S et al. [PMID 15059918]

Patent Status
  • U.S. Provisional: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Number 61/915,948, Filed 13 Dec 2013
  • U.S. Provisional: U.S. Provisional Patent Application Number PCT/US2014/070144, Filed 12 Dec 2012
  • U.S. Patent Filed: U.S. Patent Application Number 15/102,996, Filed 09 Jun 2016
  • Foreign Filed: Canada - Patent Application 2932248, Filed 12 Dec 2014
  • Foreign Filed: European - Patent Application 14831120.2, Filed 12 Dec 2014
  • Foreign Filed: Japan - Patent Application 2016-538101, Filed 09 Jun 2016
  • Foreign Filed: Australia - Patent Application 2014361788, Filed 09 Jun 2016
Therapeutic Area
Updated
Wednesday, October 27, 2021