Epitopea Announces Nature Cancer Paper on Novel Immunotherapy Targets in Melanoma and NSCLC
May 27 2025
Further Validates CryptigensTM as Actionable Targets for Cancer Immunotherapy
Montreal, Quebec, & Cambridge, UK, 27 May 2025 – Epitopea, a transatlantic cancer immunotherapy company, and Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal, a leading Canadian research institution renowned for scientific innovation and technology transfer, announce a scientific publication in the leading medical journal Nature Cancer (1). This paper demonstrates that Epitopea’s CryptoMapTM platform can identify shared, nonmutated, aberrantly-expressed tumor-specific antigens (CryptigensTM) as highly abundant, actionable targets for immunotherapy in melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The identification of CryptigensTM with potential clinical utility distinguishes Epitopea’s approach from many other immunotherapy companies that have focused on the identification of mutated tumor antigens (mTAs).
In the paper, produced with international academic collaborators at Canada’s McGill University, University of Liege in Belgium, and Switzerland’s University of Lausanne, CryptoMapTM identified 589 non-redundant tumor antigens (TAs) in cutaneous melanoma and NSCLC. Significantly, only 1% of the actionable TAs were derived from mutated sequences or mTAs. Of the 99% of TAs remaining, approximately 37% (n=220) of TAs identified were CryptigensTM. These CryptigensTM are immunogenic, shared among tumor samples, and could contribute to immune checkpoint blockade responses, supporting their utility in immune targeting across the tumor landscape.
“These data from this latest publication from our collaborators at UdeM further validate the potential benefit of Epitopea’s CryptoMapTM platform and our transformative approach to treating cancer,” commented Epitopea’s CEO, Alan C. Rigby. “We believe our CryptigensTM offer significant competitive advantages over current treatment approaches that have focused solely on mTAs. As illustrated, our approach has the potential to stimulate the immune system to precisely recognize and destroy cancer cells more rapidly and effectively, which we believe will translate into durable patient responses in these indications.”
"We have long been researching immune-based approaches that could transform the lives of cancer patients through the discovery of accessible and effective immunotherapies for difficult-to-treat tumors. This latest research further strengthens our understanding of the target space amenable for the development of cancer immunotherapy treatments. In particular, the fact that only 1% of tumor antigens are derived from mutated sequences highlights the potential value of exploring unmutated sequences across the cancer landscape. Collectively, the findings in our collaborative manuscript challenge a dogmatic belief that mTAs are the dominant actionable targets for cancer immunotherapy," said Dr. Claude Perreault, Principal Investigator at UdeM’s Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, corresponding author of the paper, and a co-founder of Epitopea.
Reference:
(1) Nature Cancer paper: “Tumor antigens preferentially derive from unmutated genomic sequences in melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer”.
About Epitopea
Epitopea is a transatlantic cancer immunotherapeutics company developing accessible off-the-shelf RNA-based immunotherapies for use in hard-to-treat cancers by targeting a new class of untapped tumor-specific antigens, which are known as CryptigenTM TSAs, that are broadly shared across multiple patients with the same tumor type.
The company has created an extensive library of novel CryptigenTM TSAs, discovered by its proprietary CryptoMapTM platform that leverages immunopeptidomics, genomics, and a bioinformatics pipeline, allowing the identification of aberrantly-expressed, tumor-specific antigens (aeTSAs) that are hidden within cancer’s ’junk’ DNA. These hidden CryptigenTM TSAs were first discovered through research led by Drs. Claude Perreault and Pierre Thibault at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer at the Université de Montréal.
Epitopea is backed by leading life science investors including Advent Life Sciences, CTI Life Sciences, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Le Fonds de Solidarité FTQ, Investissement Québec, adMare BioInnovations, Jonathan Milner, the Harrington Discovery Institute, IRICoR and Novateur Ventures. The company has a license and research collaboration with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA).
Epitopea was founded in 2021 and consists of sister companies based in Cambridge, UK and in Montreal, Canada. For additional information, please visit www.epitopea.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Université de Montréal
An ultra-modern research hub and training centre located in the heart of the Université de Montréal, the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer of the Université de Montréal was created in 2003 to shed light on the mechanisms of cancer and discover new, more effective therapies to counter this disease. The IRIC operates according to a model that is unique in Canada. Its innovative approach to research has already led to discoveries that will, over the coming years, have a significant impact on the fight against cancer.
For further information
Epitopea
Dr. Alan C. Rigby – CEO
Alan.Rigby@epitopea.com
Scius Communications (for Epitopea)
Katja Stout
+44 7789 435990
katja@sciuscommunications.com
Daniel Gooch
+44 7747 875479
daniel@sciuscommunications.com
Noémie Desbois Mackenzie
Communication Manager
IRIC
+1 514-475-7682
noemie.desbois.mackenzie@umontreal.ca
