Stereo Bio is developing miniaturized, multi-specific soluble T-cell receptor (sTCR) biologics to overcome antigen heterogeneity in diseases like cancer, a limitation of current cell-surface targeting therapies. Their digital-first, modular platform integrates advanced AI and machine learning for accelerated discovery and optimization, enhancing sTCR developability and potency. This novel approach, validated by CROs and protected by patents, offers precise discrimination of malignant cells, broadens patient eligibility, and minimizes off-target toxicity, mirroring the innovative impact of nanobodies in antibody engineering. Stereo Bio is an independent startup currently raising seed financing and seeking partnerships to advance its proprietary guidance platform and therapeutic programs.
What is the problem?
Current biologics targeting cell-surface antigens often cause toxicity due to expression on healthy cells. T-cell receptor (TCR) therapies target disease-specific peptides presented via human leukocyte antigen (HLA), improving specificity but are limited by antigen heterogeneity, especially in cancers like lung cancer. Key TCR therapy challenges include discovery of tumor-specific targets, candidate developability (high affinity, specificity, minimal cross-reactivity), and sufficient potency. Advanced AI approaches have the potential to address these bottlenecks with integration of multimodal data for precise antigen prediction, machine-learning models to optimize TCR affinity and specificity, and generative AI for rational engineering of potent, optimized TCRs. However, these advancements have not been fully realized with a system capable of addressing cellular heterogeneity in diseases.
What is their solution?
Our solution involves developing miniaturized, multi-specific soluble TCR biologics that can target multiple peptide-MHC (pMHC) complexes across diverse antigens and HLA types, overcoming antigen heterogeneity in diseases like cancer. By integrating advanced computational and digital resources, we will accelerate the discovery and optimization of our small-format TCRs using ML and AI, significantly streamlining therapeutic R&D processes, and uniquely enhancing sTCR developability and potency. Unlike traditional antibody therapies and large TCR-T cells, our digital-first, modular sTCR platform precisely discriminates malignant cells, expands patient eligibility beyond common HLA alleles, minimizes off-target toxicity, and enables tailored payload delivery such as T-cell engagers and drug conjugates. Our approach mirrors the innovation nanobodies introduced to antibody engineering, promising scalable, highly specific, and broadly applicable TCR biologics.
