Vectiopep develops a cell penetrating peptide technology for targeted delivery of messenger RNA (mRNA) specifically into immune cells. This selective delivery mechanism enables the in vivo activation of antigen-presenting cells and killer T cells to fight cancer. The platform aims to provide a scalable and efficient approach for developing tissue-specific cancer immunotherapies.
Funding
$460K raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Current cancer immunotherapies struggle with effectively targeting and activating the immune system due to cancer cells' ability to evade detection. Existing methods like immune checkpoint inhibitors have limited success rates, while ex vivo CAR T-cell therapy is technically complex and expensive.
Solution
Vectiopep is developing a peptide-based technology for targeted delivery of mRNA to immune cells, enhancing the body's innate immune response against cancer. This approach uses cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) designed for selective and potent transport of mRNA into immune cells, specifically antigen-presenting cells and killer T cells. Vectiopep spontaneously wraps mRNA into nanoparticles, protecting them from degradation and facilitating their transport to lymphoid tissues. By delivering mRNA encoding tumor antigens directly to antigen-presenting cells, Vectiopep activates killer T cells, enabling the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. Preclinical models have demonstrated that this technology effectively activates the immune system and inhibits cancer growth.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes researchers and pharmaceutical companies developing cancer immunotherapies, as well as clinicians seeking more effective and targeted cancer treatments.
Features
- Cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) technology for targeted mRNA delivery.
- Selective transport of mRNA into immune cells, particularly antigen-presenting cells (dendritic cells) and killer T cells.
- Spontaneous formation of mRNA-containing nanoparticles for protection against degradation.
- High preference for lymphoid tissues, enabling efficient delivery to the spleen.
- Activation of antigen-presenting cells to present tumor antigens to T cells.
- Demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models for inhibiting cancer growth.