"Global investors can leverage our deep immunomics platform to develop TCR Cell therapies for solid tumours"

The global biotech ecosystem continues to fluctuate and pose fresh challenges but many emerging enterprises and technologies are keen to collaborate with other stakeholders to solve healthcare challenges.

- Hithaishi C Bhaskar

Singapore is a leading startup hub in Asia having the expertise and network to be the launch pad to the region and beyond. Singapore’s A*STAR spin-offImmunoScape, a pre-clinical biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of next-generation T-cell receptor (TCR) cell therapies in the field of oncology has been thriving in the regional and global space. In an interaction with BioSpectrum Asia, Ng Choon Peng, Founder & CEO at Immunoscape discussed the opportunities and challenges in commercialising technology spin-outs from biomedical research amidst Singapore’s fast-growing ecosystem for bioscience ventures. Edited excerpts;

How crucial is the adaptation of next-generation TCR cell therapies for diagnostic and prophylactic purposes?

TCR cell therapies have evolved from their initial ventures around the isolation, expansion and re-infusion of T-cells to the patient, to newer and exciting ways of devising novel TCR cell therapies. As cell therapies are designed to be highly specific to a patient’s tumour these are built using cutting-edge, in-silico Machine Learning approaches that can improve efficacy and patient safety.

While current TCR technologies primarily address unmet treatment options, next-generation TCR cell technologies could potentially include the following:

● Diagnostic use cases such as the development of patient stratification tools, i.e., by identifying variations in antigen-specific T-cells within patient groups for a deeper understanding of the pathology. This ensures that the right drugs reach the right patients at specified times