How does the immune system make choices?
T cells are the immune cells responsible for the surveillance of the signature peptides presented by HLA.
The T cells do this using the T cell receptor (TCR) protein which binds to the HLA presented peptides. Each T cell will, through its own subtype of the TCR protein, bind to a specific signature peptide. Our immune protection originates from having a hugely diverse repertoire of T cells, each with its own specificity. When a T cell recognises its designated signature peptide it becomes activated, initiates inflammatory processes and can ultimately kill a diseased cell by release of cell killing cytotoxic proteins.
In cancer, the patient does not have a strong enough T cell population that recognises the cancer signature peptides, which results in an insufficient reaction to the cancer cells.
In autoimmune disease, the problem is reversed. Now the T cells recognise signature peptides to establish the so-called 'Immune Synapse' that are normal in our body and by mistake become activated and cause inflammation.
At T-Cypher Bio we develop drugs that correct the flaws in T cell recognition of cells and reinstall the natural interactions allowing effective treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease.
How do cells communicate health and disease?
Every cell in our body communicates with the immune system to ensure surveillance and identification of disease.
This communication is made possible by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins that continuously transport cell signature peptides to the cell surface.
Health and disease states within the cell are thereby communicated through the signature peptides presented on the surface by HLA proteins.
Disease biology originates and evolves beneath the cell surface, leaving behind distinct molecular signatures that reflect disrupted cellular processes. These internal signals are naturally relayed to the cell surface, where they serve as indicators of the cell’s state - allowing the immune system to monitor and respond. However, when this form of cellular communication fails, immune surveillance is compromised, paving the way for diseases such as cancer and autoimmunity to take hold.
T-Cypher investigates uncharted areas of disease biology and identifies many thousands of cellular signatures. We translate these signatures to discover novel disease-specific targets.
By speaking the language of immune surveillance, we build therapies that command immune cells to re-establish natural health and immune system communication.
Thousands of signatures are presented on the surface of every cell in your body, which is a way for them to communicate cellular fitness to the immune system. Immune cells read these surface signatures to eliminate diseased cells when they occur, and leave healthy cells untouched. It is an incredibly effective process that happens constitutively every second of your life.
