PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY
The company´s proprietary platform technology is based on the discovery of a novel tumor-specific marker - a membrane-expressed form of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70).
Membrane Hsp70 is most frequently expressed on a variety of different tumor types including lung, colon, breast, head and neck, stomach, pancreas carcinomas, malignant melanoma, and hematological diseases, but never on the corresponding normal tissues. In addition to primary tumors, metastases, the major cause of death by cancer, present even higher amounts of Hsp70 on their surface membranes. Metastatic disease is responsible for approximately 90% of all cancer-related deaths.
Based on its discovery of membrane Hsp70, multimmune has succeeded in developing a powerful product, termed ENKASTIM which allows, for the first time, a unique and specific activation of human natural killer (NK) cells which are programmed to recognise and kill cancers expressing membrane Hsp70 via the release of a cytotoxic molecule called granzyme B. These cells destroy tumors and metastases that are invisible to the cell killing (cytolytic) consequences of more conventional T cell-based immunotherapies.
Tumors expressing membrane Hsp70 can also be recognized and targeted using a unique, proprietary monoclonal antibody (cmHsp70.1) which can detect the membrane form of Hsp70 (mi-TUMEXtx) and a serine protease (granzyme B, mi-APO) which can selectively kill cancer cells expressing this form of Hsp70.
