image: Dr. Shikhar Mehrotra (left) and Dr.Besim Ogretmen (right) co-founded a company that is developing technology to enhance and improve the functionality of T cells in adoptive cell therapy. view more
Credit: MUSC Hollings Cancer Center
Lipo-ImmunoTech, LLC, a startup based in Charleston, South Carolina, recently received a Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant of just over $224,000 to continue to develop its novel adoptive cell therapy technology for cancer. The startup is a joint venture involving Shikhar Mehrotra, Ph.D., an immunologist, and Besim Ogretmen, Ph.D., a sphingolipid expert, both of whom are Hollings Cancer Center researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina. Lipo-ImmunoTech also executed an option agreement with the MUSC Foundation for Research Development, which gives it the rights to evaluate the technology further with an eye toward eventually licensing it for commercialization.
Adoptive cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy in which a cancer patient's T cells, immune cells that can kill cancer cells, are removed and expanded in the laboratory. The expanded T cells are then infused back into the patient. While adoptive cell therapy is a rapidly growing field and an effective strategy for controlling tumor growth, it does present some challenges.
"It is very costly," explained Mehrotra. "But more importantly, when you isolate the T cells and expand them out, they have to multiply many times. The cells at this point are susceptible to cell death. They are also susceptible to immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment once they are transferred back into the patient."
Mehrotra and Ogretmen are working to address current challenges in adoptive cell therapy by enhancing the viability of expanded T cells and improving their functionality. Their approach is novel in that it factors in the role that lipids, or the molecules that make up cell membranes, play in suppressing the immune system.
"Lipids have an important role, which is not well studied. They can prevent T cells and other immune cells from functioning properly," explained Mehrotra. "So, we thought that, with our collaboration, we could understand and address these issues to improve the immune response."
Ogretmen explained further how better understanding the role of lipids could improve anti-cancer immunotherapy as well as treatments for other diseases.
"We formed our small biotech company Lipo-ImmunoTech because mechanistic connections between lipids and immunity provide opportunities to develop novel therapeutic agents and strategies to treat various diseases with unmet clinical needs, such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and infections, including COVID-19," said Ogretmen.
Mehrotra and Ogretmen are currently investigating the applicability of their new technology to different cancer types. They already have promising data from preclinical studies in prostate cancer, melanoma and lung cancer but are expanding their efforts to other cancers as well.
They will use those data to apply for a larger STTR grant early next year. If the data continue to show promise, they hope to take the technology into clinical trial to see whether it outperforms standard immune cell therapies currently in the clinic.
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About Hollings Cancer Center
The Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the largest academic-based cancer research program in South Carolina. The cancer center comprises more than 100 faculty cancer scientists and 20 academic departments. It has an annual research funding portfolio of more than $44 million and a dedication to reducing the cancer burden in South Carolina. Hollings offers state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques within multidisciplinary clinics that include surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and other specialists equipped for the full range of cancer care, including more than 200 clinical trials. For more information, visit http://www.hollingscancercenter.org
About MUSC Foundation for Research Development
MUSC Foundation for Research Development is responsible for evaluating all intellectual assets the enterprise owns and generates, extracting value, and forging industry and other relationships resulting in products and services that provide real-life solutions to the world's medical needs. Whether our translations involve a technology license, research collaboration, or new startup venture, we serve as a dedicated one-stop shop for advancing innovation at MUSC. Our team is also dedicated to building an ecosystem of innovation whose activities contribute to MUSC's overall economic impact on our state and country. Please visit us online at frd.musc.edu.