iTOL-100

Potentially Transformational Regenerative SA-FasL Biotin-PEG Microgel Platform

What is Regenerative Medicine?

A class of medicines that aim to grow, repair or replace damaged or diseased cells, tissues or organs. Regenerative medicine goes beyond treating diseases or managing symptoms and seeks to develop cures. However, a significant shortcoming of cell therapy is the body’s immune system working to seek out and kill foreign cells, tissues, organoids and organs implanted into the body, requiring the need for life-long immunosuppression.

How iTOL-100 is Designed to Work

iTOL-100: Our SA-FasL Biotin-PEG Microgel Immune Tolerance Platform

Through a data-driven approach, we are working to enable regenerative medicine without the need for life-long immunosuppression. Our platform technology, iTOL-100, leverages the naturally occurring protein, Fas Ligand (FasL) which is present in all mammals and functions as a natural way for the body to establish local immune tolerance.

iTOL-100 is a chimeric fusion protein of streptavidin-FasL which is combined with a biotin-PEG microgel (SA-FasL biotin-PEG microgel) to induce local immune tolerance. Ordinarily, activated T-cells will reject foreign tissue.  Current implantation of cells or organs requires life-long immunosuppression to prevent organ rejection.  However, when we then mix iTOL-100 with the target cell therapy and implant it into the body, the FasL binds to the Fas receptor (FasR) on activated T-cells, preventing rejection through a process called apoptosis (or programmed cell death). In parallel, T-regulatory cells are generated creating long-term localized immune privilege and protecting the implanted cell therapy.

Potential Key Technology Benefits 

Off the shelf

Modular

Applicable to multiple programs

In pre-clinical studies, our iTOL-100 platform has been shown to establish durable, localized immune tolerance, allowing the implanted tissue, organoid or cell therapy to function as a replacement for damaged native cells.

Straightforward Procedure

Our proprietary technology has broad applicability and can be applied to both allogeneic and stem cell-derived organoids across a number of diseases.