BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

LEM-on aid for cancer

How new protein LEM could displace anti-PD-1 and CAR T cell therapies

April 23, 2015 7:00 AM UTC

New pathways in immunity are few and far between, but a group at Imperial College London has found one that boosts the immune response tenfold and is controlled by the newly discovered protein LEM. The researchers think the target could become a key player in cancer immunotherapy, and that activating LEM offers big advantages over anti-PD-1 and CAR T cell approaches.

The inventors' first move was to spin out ImmunarT Ltd., a newco that will look for therapies that stimulate or suppress LEM for cancer, chronic viral infections or other diseases...