Bringing Together Two Complementary Technologies
Helmholtz Munich has granted the Champalimaud Foundation an exclusive license for specific fusion receptor technologies. In parallel, the Champalimaud Foundation has acquired a set of T cell receptor (TCR) programs, along with related technologies, data, and biological materials, from Medigene Immunotherapies GmbH.
These two steps are linked. The licensed technologies from Helmholtz Munich enable continued work with parts of the acquired TCR portfolio and support further studies on how these components can be combined in engineered T cells.
The license covers patented fusion protein constructs such as PD 1/4 1BB and CD40L/CD28. These constructs are designed to influence how T cells receive and process activation signals.
Why This Matters for T Cell Research
Engineered T cell therapies aim to equip immune cells with receptors that help them better recognize diseased cells, for example in cancer. TCR based approaches focus on giving T cells a highly specific “sensor” for a defined target.
Fusion receptor technologies add another layer: they influence how strongly and how long T cells are activated once they recognize their target. Studying both components together helps researchers better understand how T cells behave in complex disease settings and how their function might be optimized.
“The fusion receptor technology was developed to precisely fine-tune T cell activation and function in complex disease settings,” says Prof Elfriede Nößner, Head of the Research Group Immunoanalytics, Tissue Control of Immunocytes, at the Institute of Virology (VIRO), Helmholtz Munich. “Combining it with the Medigene TCR platform, which outfits the T cell with exquisite specificity towards the diseased target cell, creates a powerful therapeutic synergy. Within Champalimaud’s robust framework of translational expertise and manufacturing capabilities, I see a unique opportunity to explore the full potential of these tools and accelerate them toward clinical application. Seeing experimental science evolve to benefit patients is profoundly rewarding.
