Discussion

The ImmTAC Solution

Traditional targeted immunotherapies such as monoclonal antibodies are designed to specifically recognise and attack cancer cells, but despite strong initial anti-cancer effects and reduced toxicities, resistance is frequently observed due to high mutation rates, allowing cancers to return. More recent therapies focus instead on inducing a broad systemic immune response that can adapt itself to combat the evolving cancer, thereby increasing the potential for complete eradication. However, systemic activation can lead to high toxicities and, in the absence of cancer-specific targeting, low numbers of responders.

The ImmTAC solution provided by Immunocore brings together the cancer-specific focus of targeted therapies, at even higher affinities, with the potential for broad systemic immune activation, by being able to recruit circulating T cells in the bloodstream to kill cancer cells regardless of their antigen specificity. The unique mechanism of action provided by ImmTACs may be further enhanced through combination with other treatment modalities including other immunotherapies.

Immunocore’s expertise encompasses the entire drug development process from identification and validation of novel cancer targets, to the generation of potent and highly specific ImmTAC reagents and their subsequent clinical development. This is complemented by a robust, low cost manufacturing process. Immunocore has a diverse and expanding pipeline of ImmTAC reagents against novel disease targets and the first ImmTAC is in clinical testing.

This presentation will give an overview of the development path Immunocore has adopted to get ImmTACs into the clinical setting.