Core Viewpoint - Achilles Therapeutics and Arcturus Therapeutics have announced a research collaboration to develop personalized cancer vaccines using AI-driven tumor-targeting technology and self-amplifying mRNA platforms, aiming to enhance T cell responses against solid tumors [1][2]. Company Overview - Achilles Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on AI-powered precision T cell therapies targeting clonal neoantigens, with ongoing Phase I/IIa trials for advanced non-small cell lung cancer and metastatic melanoma [4]. - Arcturus Therapeutics is a global mRNA medicines company known for its self-amplifying mRNA technology and has developed the first approved sa-mRNA COVID vaccine [8][10]. Technology and Innovation - The collaboration will utilize Achilles' PELEUS platform, which employs AI to select highly immunogenic clonal neoantigens, and Arcturus' STARR platform, which combines self-replicating RNA with a nanoparticle delivery system to enhance immune responses [2][9]. - PELEUS identifies clonal neoantigens that are present on all cancer cells but absent from healthy tissue, making them ideal targets for immunotherapy [5][7]. Clinical Development - The collaboration aims to generate IND-enabling data demonstrating the ability to select multiple immunogenic clonal neoantigens for effective T cell responses, with any subsequent clinical development to be jointly agreed upon by both companies [2][3]. - Achilles is advancing its TIL-based clonal neoantigen reactive T cells programs while exploring new modalities for earlier-stage patients through this collaboration [2]. Research Background - The TRACERx study, which provides foundational data for Achilles, has significantly advanced the understanding of tumor evolution and identified clonal neoantigens as promising targets for cancer therapies [6][7].
Achilles Therapeutics Announces Research Collaboration with Arcturus Therapeutics to Explore Second-Generation Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccines