Over the past decade, the rapidly expanding field of immune oncology has shown us that T cells are the most effective way to fight cancer. The success of checkpoint inhibitor therapy proves that T cells, when appropriately unleashed, can cure some patients with otherwise incurable cancers. The more recent advances in CAR-T therapy show that T cells can also be genetically reprogrammed to recognize specific antigens and that those reprogrammed T cells have curative potential.

At TScan, we are building on these observations to discover and develop TCR-engineered T cell therapies: T cells that have been genetically reprogrammed to express naturally occurring T cell receptors that specifically recognize and eliminate cancer cells.

The TScan Advantage

• Our TCR-T therapy candidates are based on highly active TCRs with strong anti-cancer activity. Other approaches to T cell-based therapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, rely on the patient’s unmodified T cells that may or may not mediate a strong anti-cancer response. In contrast, we genetically modify a patient’s T cells with TCRs that have been shown to have potent anticancer activity.
• Our TCR-T therapies are designed to be used in combination with each other. We are building our ImmunoBank of TCRs to enable multiplex therapy, in which a patient receives a mixture of up to three different TCR-Ts that are selected based on their specific cancer. We believe this approach may allow us to overcome the heterogenous nature of solid tumors, which is one of the key challenges in treating solid tumors.
• Our approach is extendable to new advances in T cell engineering. The ImmunoBank has the flexibility to be used with new and optimized methods of T cell engineering that we or others may develop over time. We are building the ImmunoBank to be compatible with both conventional and in vivo engineering technologies. As these new technologies are validated, we envision transitioning to an off-the-shelf product that enables direct administration to patients.