Etcembly announced the successful prediction and optimization of multiple T-cell receptor (TCR) assets targeting leukemia and solid tumors.
The company’s machine learning platform EMLy (such as machine learning) will enable AI-based engineering of new TCRs from the complete theoretical TCR repertoire. The integration of machine learning-based optimization and empirical validation facilitated rapid deciphering of disease-relevant T-cell repertoires, resulting in clinically primed TCRs at half the development timeline.
The company also completed a funding round and welcomed a new international investor, Singapore VC iGlobe Partners. Financial details were not disclosed.
Etcembly CEO and co-founder Michelle Teng said: The time-consuming process of exhaustive screening of each lead candidate forced us to rethink how to rapidly track TCRs in a completely different way, so we explored the idea of engineering her TCR in silico.
“The platform is applicable to multiple modalities and the company has already successfully designed a TCR for its internal program that is ready for cell therapy and is now expanding into the biologics space,” said iGlobe Partners. We are pleased to recognize the power of our innovative in silico approach and to join our investor syndicate.”
Development of immunotherapy
Etcembly CTO and co-founder Jacob Hurst added: Not only can he professionally find new TCRs, but he can also redesign existing his TCR-based assets to improve their affinity and effectiveness. Importantly, our approach is haplotype-independent. This means we can provide companies with the holy grail of developing immunotherapies with global therapeutic value. We see EMLy as an oracle of immunotherapy for our pharmaceutical company partners. ”
Bent Jakobsen, Director of Etcembly and founder of Immunocore and Adaptimmune, added: It currently brings great benefits to patients and society, and further development is expected.
“The TCR may prove to be the most important factor in realizing this potential, but deciphering its specificity is one of the most complex challenges in biology. Etcembly’s platform has broken the last barrier by enabling sourcing from the full repertoire of possible TCRs.In a nutshell, EMLy enables drug hunters to look further ahead and act faster. and be more successful.”
