TATUM Bioscience, a preclinical biotechnology company based in Sherbrooke, Quebec, has announced the publication of research demonstrating strong antitumor activity from its proprietary bioengineered multimodal nanofilaments. The study, published in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer (JITC), details how this groundbreaking therapy exposes cancer cells and orchestrates a comprehensive immune response that eradicates tumors.
"Our innovative nanofilament-directed immunotherapy overcomes cancer's ability to hide from the immune system and unleashes a coordinated immune response against tumor cells," said Jean-François Millau, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of TATUM Bioscience. "The immune system can be compared to an orchestra: for a powerful antitumor response, each instrument — or cellular component — must play its part at the right moment. That's what our drug candidate, TAT003, achieves."
Trimodal Mechanism of Action
TAT003 is administered directly into the tumor intratumorally and combines three biological functions to drive the immune system's antitumor response. The checkpoint blockade component utilizes anti-PD-L1 single-chain antibody fragments at one end of the nanofilament that bind to tumor cells, decorating the tumor and blocking the PD-L1 immune checkpoint. This allows the immune system to recognize and target the cancer.
For innate activation, a TLR9 agonist encapsulated within the nanofilament activates macrophages to engulf tumor cells. These activated macrophages then present tumor antigens to the broader immune system. The T cell stimulation component involves IL-2 molecules on the nanofilaments that stimulate T cells, triggering them to seek out and destroy other cells bearing tumor antigens, mimicking a vaccine-like response.
"Strikingly, the antitumor response triggered by TAT003 nanofilament immunotherapy was both systemic and durable in animal models," said Kevin Neil, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of TATUM. "Replicating these results in patients is our goal as we move toward clinical development."
Advantages Over Current Approaches
TATUM's engineered nanofilaments offer distinct advantages over other therapeutic strategies. According to Dr. Neil, "TAT003 elicits a vaccine-like effect without the complexity and cost of individualized neoantigen vaccines, which require tumor sequencing and custom manufacturing for each patient. Our approach is designed to be more practical and scalable."
The company addresses manufacturing challenges through a proprietary synthetic biology platform. "We have engineered bacteria to function as miniature drug factories, producing fully assembled therapeutic nanofilaments in a single step," explained Dr. Millau. "We simply culture the bacteria, and they secrete the complete, functional drug."
Clinical Implications
Dr. Gerald Batist, director of the Segal Cancer Centre at Jewish General Hospital in Montréal and medical advisor to TATUM, commented on the research findings: "These results are highly promising and suggest that nanofilament-directed immunotherapy could overcome some of the limitations seen with today's personalized neoantigen approaches. Engaging both innate and adaptive immunity, as shown here, is likely key to improving outcomes for patients who do not benefit from current immunotherapies. This represents a major step forward in the evolving landscape of immuno-oncology."
Development Timeline
TATUM is currently raising funds to accelerate development and bring TAT003 into clinical trials. The company welcomes interest from investors, partners, and clinicians seeking to participate in advancing this next-generation cancer immunotherapy approach. The nanofilament-directed immunotherapy demonstrates effective tumor clearance activity, low side-effect profiles, and durable responses in preclinical studies.
