Role of Engineered Peptides in Cancer Immunotherapy

In a recent publication in Nature Biomedical Engineering, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have introduced a novel approach for crafting immunotherapy medications by employing engineered peptides to stimulate an innate immune reaction within the organism.

In experimental models of locally advanced and metastatic breast cancer, this technique enhanced tumor management and extended lifespan, both when used alone and in conjunction with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

“Amino acids are the building blocks of life and, when a few of them are linked together, they create a peptide. All the biological functions performed by our body are done by proteins and peptides, so our goal was to find a way to redesign these small molecules to possess the unique ability to activate our immune system.”- Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D., senior author, professor of Neurosurgery

The body’s immune system is intricately designed to surveil and discern infected or ailing cells for eradication, yet cancer cells frequently exploit vulnerabilities in this system to evade detection. The objective of immunotherapy is to fortify the body’s inherent capacity to recognize and eliminate cancerous cells. Presently, immune checkpoint inhibitors are antibodies engineered to obstruct precise immune signaling routes.

The engineered peptide enhances the immune system’s capability to identify and eradicate cancerous cells in a distinctive manner. Instead of employing an external compound to initiate a response, or collecting and modifying immune cells for cellular therapies, the peptide acts as a messenger to activate specific signaling routes in immune cells, thereby enhancing their efficacy.

“These findings open a whole new avenue for developing immunotherapy drugs. By using designed polypeptides, we can potently activate immune signaling pathways to enhance anti-tumor responses. Additionally, since these are naturally derived agents, we anticipate the toxicity profile would be significantly better than with synthetic compounds,” said co-corresponding author Wen Jiang, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Radiation Oncology.

For more information: Synthetic cationic helical polypeptides for the stimulation of antitumour innate immune pathways in antigen-presenting cells, Nature Biomedical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-024-01194-7