Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 6, 2025

High-Throughput Automated Multiplex Immunofluorescence Assays for Translational Research
Published on: June 10, 2025
Accum™ Technology: A Novel Conjugable Primer for Onco-Immunotherapy
Abed El-Hakim El-Kadiry1, Simon Beaudoin2, Sebastien Plouffe2
1Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada.
Accum™ enhances biologic delivery by facilitating endosome escape and nuclear targeting. This improves antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) cancer cell killing and boosts anti-cancer immune responses for tumor antigens.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology and Drug Delivery
- Onco-immunotherapy
- Cellular Trafficking Mechanisms
Background:
- Biologics often have compromised activity due to inefficient endosome trafficking into target cells.
- In cancer cells, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are trapped in endosomes or effluxed, reducing intracellular accumulation and efficacy.
- Antigens in dendritic cells (DCs) face proteolysis within endosomes, diminishing immunogenicity before presentation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel biotechnology, Accum™, to overcome endosomal entrapment and enhance biologic delivery.
- To enable endosome escape and prompt nuclear targeting for improved intracellular accumulation and functionalization of coupled biologics.
- To validate Accum™'s efficacy with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and tumor antigens in cancer settings.
Main Methods:
- Biochemical characterization of Accum™, a conjugable biotechnology incorporating cholic acid (ChAc) and a nuclear localization signal (NLS).
- Demonstration of Accum™'s adaptability to ADCs and antigens for various cancer types.
- Validation of endosome escape and nuclear routing as critical for intracellular accumulation and target cell selectivity.
Main Results:
- Accum™ was biochemically characterized and shown to be adaptable for conjugation with ADCs and antigens.
- Endosome escape and nuclear routing mediated by Accum™ were confirmed as essential for enhanced intracellular accumulation and target cell selectivity.
- Coupling Accum™ to ADCs significantly increased tumor cytotoxicity, while coupling to tumor antigens enhanced anti-cancer immunogenicity.
Conclusions:
- Accum™ effectively facilitates endosome escape and nuclear targeting, enhancing the intracellular accumulation and functionalization of coupled biologics.
- The unique mechanism of action of Accum™ leads to improved therapeutic outcomes, including enhanced tumor cytotoxicity and durable anti-cancer immunogenicity.
- Accum™ shows significant promise for clinical translation in onco-immunotherapy due to its adaptability, mechanism, and therapeutic potency.
More Related Videos
09:56A Nonviral Approach to Generate Transient Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Using mRNA for Cancer Immunotherapy
Published on: February 21, 2025
08:46A Real-time Potency Assay for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Targeting Solid and Hematological Cancer Cells
Published on: November 12, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Tumor Immunotherapy
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
Cancer Vaccines
Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...
Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...