- Collaboration seeks to identify novel antigenic reactivity of T cells in patients with Multiple Sclerosis

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – April 29, 2021 – Repertoire Immune Medicines, a clinical-stage biotech company decoding the immune synapse to create novel immune therapies for cancer, immune disorders, infectious disease, and other serious diseases, today announced a new collaboration with Yale University focused on understanding the basis of cellular immunity of multiple sclerosis (MS) by determining what types of antigens are activating T cells in patients. Repertoire and Yale University will work together to identify the specificity of various subsets of T cells with a goal of understanding the immunologic causes of this devastating disease.

The research collaboration will determine the specificity of T cells obtained from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients living with MS and determine the pathogenic T cells that may be responsible for the underlying cause of the disease and identify the antigens that can activate them. Researchers from Yale will provide human T cell receptor (TCR) sequences to Repertoire, which will use its proprietary DECODE™ platform to determine the novel antigens that these TCRs identify. The Yale team’s deep understanding of the nature of MS, coupled with Repertoire’s technology, may allow unique insights into how T cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease.

The Yale research team will be lead by David A. Hafler, MD, FANA, William S. and Lois Stiles Edgerly Professor of Neurology and Professor of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine; Chair, Department of Neurology and Neurologist-in-Chief, Yale New Haven Hospital.

“The Yale research team are world-renowned experts in the field of immunobiology particularly in MS, and we’re thrilled to be working together in this scientific capacity,” said Anthony Coyle, Ph.D., President, Research and Development, Repertoire Immune Medicines. “By understanding the immune codes in T cells from patients with MS, we will understand the basis of cellular immunity and hope to develop transformational medicines that no longer involve immunosuppression.”

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease marked by damage to the myelin sheath protecting nerves. Symptoms and disease progression vary widely among patients, following a pattern of relapse and remission or steady progression. While the cause or causes of MS are not confirmed, it is generally viewed as an autoimmune disease. The prevalence of MS is rising, with approximately 2.8 million people living with the disease worldwide and more than 900,000 in the United States, according to the MS International Federation. The first treatments for MS were introduced more than 20 years ago, all of which rely on immune suppression to manage symptoms and reduce relapses. There is no cure for MS.

About Repertoire Immune Medicines

Repertoire Immune Medicines is a clinical-stage biotechnology company working to unlock and direct the remarkable power of the human immune system to prevent or treat cancer, as well as autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, and other serious diseases. The company’s repertoire of T cell receptor (TCR)-antigen codes that drive health and disease represents one of the greatest opportunities for innovation in medical science. Repertoire scientists created and developed the DECODE and DEPLOY suite of technologies, which allow in-depth characterization of TCR-antigen pairs, and the ability to rationally design and develop novel targeted immune medicines.

Repertoire Immune Medicines was formed in December 2019 by combining two Flagship Pioneering companies to create a fully integrated immune medicines company. From its sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Zurich, Switzerland, Repertoire’s team of more than 120 is creating a new category of immune medicines enabled from its DECODE discovery platform and DEPLOY development engine. The company’s first product in the clinic is a novel multiclonal T cell therapy consisting of naïve, rare T cells derived from the peripheral blood, activated against a curated set of antigens, and armed with a proprietary cytokine payload. Repertoire is in clinical-stage immuno-oncology development today, targeting metastatic solid tumors. In the field of autoimmunity, Repertoire is using its proprietary platform to discover novel epitopes and TCRs from patients with type 1 diabetes. The company is also using its DECODE platform to discover infectious disease antigens and responding T cell clones.