Structure-Based Rational Design of Constrained Peptides as TIM-3 Inhibitors. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Blocking the immunosuppressive function of T-cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (TIM-3) is an established therapeutic strategy to maximize the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer immunotherapy. Currently, effective inhibition of TIM-3 interactions relies on monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which come with drawbacks such as immunogenicity risk, limited tumor penetration, and high manufacturing costs. Guided by the X-ray cocrystal structures of TIM-3 with mAbs, we report an in silico structure-based rational design of constrained peptides as potent TIM-3 inhibitors. The top cyclic peptide from our study (P2) binds TIM-3 with a K D value of 166.3 ± 12.1 nM as determined by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) screening. Remarkably, P2 efficiently inhibits key TIM-3 interactions with natural TIM-3 ligands at submicromolar concentrations in a panel of cell-free and cell-based assays. The capacity of P2 to reverse immunosuppression in T-cell/cancer cell cocultures, coupled with favorable in vitro pharmacokinetic properties, highlights the potential of P2 for further evaluation in preclinical models of immuno-oncology.

publication date

  • May 28, 2024

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC11181482

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85194464695

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00567

PubMed ID

  • 38894912

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 15

issue

  • 6