TCR Therapy Development Services for Cancer

T cell receptor-engineered T cell (TCR-T) therapy is a cutting-edge cancer therapeutic, harnessing the power of the T cell receptor to target and eliminate cancer cells independent of the expression of antigens on the surface of the target cells. Alfa Cytology's comprehensive services cover the full phase of TCR therapy development, from antigen discovery to preclinical testing, advancing the discovery of potential applications for TCR therapies.

Introduction to TCR Therapy

TCR therapy specifically recognizes and attacks cancer cells by genetically re-engineering reprogrammed T cells, which are equipped with T cell receptors (TCRs) that can reach intracellular targets and bind to tumor antigens, initiating an immune response against the malignancy. This includes tumor-specific mutations, thereby expanding the range of targets that can be reached by cell therapy. The advantage of TCR therapy is that it can precisely target cancer cells, minimizing collateral damage to healthy tissue. Like CAR T-cell therapy, engineered T-cell receptor therapy attaches new receptors to the surface of cells, enabling them to attack different forms of cancer. The difference between the two approaches is that CAR T cells bind to antigens that are naturally present on the surface of cancer cells, whereas in engineered TCR therapies, the added receptors can only attach to MHC proteins.

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of the TCR-T cell structure. (Liu, Y., et al., 2022)

Hot Topics in TCR Therapy Research

While TCR therapy represents a significant advancement in cancer therapy, certain challenges remain. These include off-target effects, immune-related adverse events and tumor immune evasion mechanisms. To overcome these limitations, ongoing research is focused on enhancing TCR specificity, improving T cell persistence, and developing combinatorial approaches with other immunotherapies or targeted agents. In addition, advances in gene editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 provide opportunities to refine TCR engineering and optimize therapeutic outcomes.

Our Services

Based on extensive TCR biology experience and preclinical research expertise, Alfa Cytology is committed to expanding the potential of cell-based therapies. You can leverage our services to discover, develop and manufacture transformative next-generation TCR-Ts to target cancer-specific proteins ("neoantigens"). Our comprehensive TCR therapy development services include, but are not limited to, the following.

Antigen Identification and Characterization. Facilitate tumor-specific antigen discovery and characterization using bioinformatics tools and high-throughput screening methods to identify optimal targets for TCR therapy.

TCR Discovery. Precise TCR library analysis using phage display libraries, and next-generation sequencing technologies to identify specific TCRs and potent drug candidates for therapeutic development.

TCR Engineering. Isolation and optimization of TCRs by structural biology techniques and customized gene editing tools, ensuring TCR engineering precision and efficiency, resulting in highly specific and enhanced affinity functional T cells.

Preclinical Efficacy Studies. Conducting in vitro and in vivo experiments to evaluate the therapeutic potential and safety profile of TCR-engineered T cells. These tests include TCR specificity assays, cytokine release assays, cytotoxicity assays, and toxicology assessments based on animal models.

Immune Monitoring and Biomarker Analysis. Implementing flow cytometry, cytokine profiling, and multiplex assays to assess immune responses and identify predictive biomarkers of therapy response.

Services Provided for TCR Therapy Development

Alfa Cytology is committed to being your reliable partner in advancing the research and development of TCR therapy. Our services are available to clients in diverse research areas such as oncology, infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases, and are designed to accelerate the progress of your project and lead innovation. Contact us today to learn how we can be involved in your project.

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