Innovative Pan-Cancer Immunotherapy Targets Tumors Without Damaging Healthy Tissue

A groundbreaking class of immunotherapy developed at the University of California, Irvine, demonstrates a remarkable ability to eliminate various cancer types while sparing normal tissue. This new approach employs highly potent glycan-targeting compounds with Velcro-like binding properties, offering a promising universal cancer treatment.

Led by researcher Michael Demetriou, MD, Ph.D., the team focused on attacking cancer-associated carbohydrate chains known as glycans — complex sugar structures that coat tumor cells but are sparse on normal cells. Their engineered therapies, called glycan-dependent T cell recruiters (GlyTR), specifically bind to these glycans, enabling immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells effectively.

GlyTR1 and GlyTR2 have shown safety and efficacy in preclinical models for multiple cancers, including breast, colon, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancers. Unlike current immunotherapies that often target proteins and struggle to distinguish healthy from malignant cells, GlyTR's Velcro-like sugar-binding mechanism allows for precise targeting of tumor cells based on glycan density, overcoming limitations like tumor immune suppression and shielding glycans.

This innovative strategy also addresses a significant obstacle in immuno-oncology: the protective glycan shields surrounding solid tumors. By blanketging tumors with these glycan-specific compounds, GlyTR technology can effectively penetrate and mark cancer cells for immune attack.

The next phase involves clinical trials, with manufacturing already underway at the National Cancer Institute's Maryland laboratories. A phase 1 trial is anticipated to start within two years, focusing on patients with metastatic solid tumors, especially those with high glycan densities and limited current treatment options.

Experts see this as a potential paradigm shift in cancer treatment, as it could enable the widespread application of targeted T-cell therapies beyond blood cancers like leukemia to solid tumors, a longstanding challenge in oncology.

This research represents a decade of dedicated work and marks a significant step towards highly precise, universal cancer immunotherapies that could revolutionize future treatment strategies.