Technology
Solid tumours are a major challenge in oncology, but at Pan Cancer T, we’re shifting that narrative with our next-generation TCR-T cell therapies.
The Science Behind Our Approach
Reprogramming T Cells to Fight Cancer
Our bodies are equipped with an army of immune T cells that can recognize and kill virus-infected cells. With adoptive cell therapy, we can redirect this army to target cancer. This process involves isolating T cells from a patient’s blood, genetically engineering them to express receptors that enable them to recognise and kill cancer cells, expanding them, and returning them to the patient.
Adoptive cell therapy has already transformed cancer treatment. Over the past decade, this approach has proven its impact—some early blood cancer patients remain cancer-free more than ten years after a single treatment. With multiple FDA-approved T cell therapies for blood cancers, the evidence is clear: reprogramming T cells is reshaping cancer care.
While approved T cell therapies for blood cancers utilize Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) that target cell-surface proteins, there are few suitable cell surface targets for solid cancers, which account for over 80% of all cancers. By using T cell receptors (TCRs), we can precisely target tumour antigens, including those hidden inside cancer cells. TCR-T cell therapies have shown significant patient responses in solid tumours, and the first engineered TCR-T cell therapy was approved for the treatment of synovial sarcoma in August 2024.
Our Unique Approach
Despite the promise, several key challenges still limit the impact of adoptive cell therapies in solid cancer. Our technology addresses these hurdles, aiming to harness the power of T cell therapies to deliver more effective, long-term treatment options.
Key Problem
Our Solution
Key Example
1
Lack of suitable cancer-specific targets limits eligible patient populations.
UNIQUE ANTIGENS
We have a portfolio of cancer-restricted targets, highly expressed in multiple solid cancers and absent in healthy cells.
ROPN1 is a novel tumour-restricted target strongly expressed by 90% of patients with triple-negative breast cancer and melanoma.
2
Receptors lacking precise target specificity can lead to off-target effects and severe side effects.
UNMATCHED PRECISION
Our T cell receptor (TCR) discovery platform selects the most effective natural receptors to unlock novel targets.
Our IP-protected PCT1 TCR is highly specific for ROPN1 and effectively targets TNBC and melanoma in advanced preclinical models.
3
Suppression in the tumour microenvironment limits sustained clinical responses.
OVERCOMING TUMOUR DEFENSES
Gene engineering to enhance T cell resilience and function in a target-specific manner, aiming to offer patients a more durable and effective treatment.
Our lead solution, TCR:CO-STIM, provides co-stimulation to T cells in a target-specific manner, to boost T cell fitness by overcoming the lack of co-stimulatory ligands in many solid tumours.
Key Problem 1
Lack of suitable cancer-specific targets limits eligible patient populations.
UNIQUE ANTIGENS
We have a portfolio of cancer-restricted targets, highly expressed in multiple solid cancers and absent in healthy cells.
Key Example
ROPN1 is a novel tumour-restricted target strongly expressed by 90% of patients with triple-negative breast cancer and melanoma.
Key Problem 2
Receptors lacking precise target specificity can lead to off-target effects and severe side effects.
UNMATCHED PRECISION
Our T cell receptor (TCR) discovery platform selects the most effective natural receptors to unlock novel targets.
Key Example
Our IP-protected PCT1 TCR is highly specific for ROPN1 and effectively targets TNBC and melanoma in advanced preclinical models.
Key Problem 3
Suppression in the tumour microenvironment limits sustained clinical responses.
OVERCOMING TUMOUR DEFENSES
Gene engineering to enhance T cell resilience and function in a target-specific manner, aiming to offer patients a more durable and effective treatment.
Key Example
Our lead solution, TCR:CO-STIM, provides co-stimulation to T cells in a target-specific manner, to boost T cell fitness by overcoming the lack of co-stimulatory ligands in many solid tumors.
Article
TCR-Engineered T Cells Directed against Ropporin-1 Constitute a Safe and Effective Treatment for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
As we move towards clinical trials and beyond, our focus remains on overcoming the limitations of current TCR-T therapies by expanding our platforms and enhancing our molecular strategies to treat a wider range of cancers.
Visit our pipeline.