Expitope is an improved Web-tool to assess immunotherapeutic antigens for their potential off-tumor recognition or cross-reactivity against naturally expressed proteins in human tissues. Unwanted T cell response like cross-reactivity, due to the selection of non-suitable epitopes may result in elevated off-target effects and even lethal toxicity. Therefore, identifying the proper target peptide HLA (pHLA) complex is crucial for generating TCRs for improved safety and efficacy.
Expitope is the integration of seven different databases into one protein database. The Expitope database is regularly updated and allows examination of the expression of potential pHLA on mRNA and on protein level. All available annotations were added for each protein. In addition, implementing new prediction tools and adding Machine Learning supported binding prediction of each epitope enables the improvement of epitope prediction. New visualisation opportunities allow to optimally visualize protein expression between different tissues and databases.
Expitope allows prediction of binding affinities of newly identified epitopes for improved safety and efficacy. It enables the identification of mismatched epitopes for safety assessments. Expitope is constantly expanded and allows screening for pHLA using a broader search of databases and higher prediction accuracy, enhancing its use for safety assessments.
At Medigene we use Expitope to identify immunogenic epitopes as potential TCR target with reduced off-target adverse effects.