Alithea Bio UG

Alithea Bio is focusing on the immune cell subset driving cancer cures: T cells. These T cells patrol the body and interrogate peptides presented on HLA complexes of all cells. If a cell is infected with a pathogen, or transformed into a cancer cell, it will present few peptides that are different from healthy cells. Such a peptide, called antigen, can be recognized by the T cell receptor (TCR) of antigen-specific T cells, leading to the killing of the cancer or infected cell. In an optimal case, only one single cell is sufficient to control large tumors, as it proliferates quickly upon activation. Unfortunately, tumors have developed mechanisms to evade recognition by T cells. Immunotherapy aims to release the brakes of T cells, e.g. with so called checkpoint inhibitor antibodies, or by modifying T cells through genetic engineering. At the same time, self-antigen-specific T cells are responsible for auto-immune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, Rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, while they contribute to Lupus and similar antibody-dominated diseases. The ultimate goal of Alithea Bio is the application of innovative technologies to decipher antigen landscapes in individual patients with auto-immune diseases, developing precision medicine strategies for patient stratification and selection, offering the treatment option to those patients which are most likely to benefit.