On May 27, 2025 Epitopea, a transatlantic cancer immunotherapy company, and Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal, a leading Canadian research institution renowned for scientific innovation and technology transfer, reported a scientific publication in the leading medical journal Nature Cancer (Press release, Epitopea, MAY 27, 2025, View Source [SID1234653392]). This paper demonstrates that Epitopea’s CryptoMapTM platform can identify shared, nonmutated, aberrantly-expressed tumor-specific antigens (CryptigensTM) as highly abundant, actionable targets for immunotherapy in melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The identification of CryptigensTM with potential clinical utility distinguishes Epitopea’s approach from many other immunotherapy companies that have focused on the identification of mutated tumor antigens (mTAs).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
In the paper, produced with international academic collaborators at Canada’s McGill University, University of Liege in Belgium, and Switzerland’s University of Lausanne, CryptoMapTM identified 589 non-redundant tumor antigens (TAs) in cutaneous melanoma and NSCLC. Significantly, only 1% of the actionable TAs were derived from mutated sequences or mTAs. Of the 99% of TAs remaining, approximately 37% (n=220) of TAs identified were CryptigensTM. These CryptigensTM are immunogenic, shared among tumor samples, and could contribute to immune checkpoint blockade responses, supporting their utility in immune targeting across the tumor landscape.
"These data from this latest publication from our collaborators at UdeM further validate the potential benefit of Epitopea’s CryptoMapTM platform and our transformative approach to treating cancer," commented Epitopea’s CEO, Alan C. Rigby. "We believe our CryptigensTM offer significant competitive advantages over current treatment approaches that have focused solely on mTAs. As illustrated, our approach has the potential to stimulate the immune system to precisely recognize and destroy cancer cells more rapidly and effectively, which we believe will translate into durable patient responses in these indications."
"We have long been researching immune-based approaches that could transform the lives of cancer patients through the discovery of accessible and effective immunotherapies for difficult-to-treat tumors. This latest research further strengthens our understanding of the target space amenable for the development of cancer immunotherapy treatments. In particular, the fact that only 1% of tumor antigens are derived from mutated sequences highlights the potential value of exploring unmutated sequences across the cancer landscape. Collectively, the findings in our collaborative manuscript challenge a dogmatic belief that mTAs are the dominant actionable targets for cancer immunotherapy," said Dr. Claude Perreault, Principal Investigator at UdeM’s Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, corresponding author of the paper, and a co-founder of Epitopea.