TreeFrog Therapeutics has entered a research collaboration with the US University of Pittsburgh to investigate the role of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in immuno-oncology.

TLS has emerged as a significant factor in the immune system's fight against cancer, forming in organs affected by inflammation, chronic infection, autoimmune diseases and transplants facing chronic rejection.

The partnership aims to leverage the university's ongoing research and TreeFrog's C-stem technology to pioneer advancements in 3D immunology.

It will build on the work of the university's Department of Immunology assistant professor Tullia Bruno and her team at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

TreeFrog will introduce its C-stem 3D cell encapsulation technology which can expand and differentiate cells within a closed system and allows for improved quality control in cell therapy development.

TreeFrog Therapeutics chief scientific officer Maxime Feyeux stated: “We are delighted to embark on this collaboration with Professor Bruno to apply our encapsulation technology to further understand and work with TLS, bringing new levels of control over the microenvironment of these amazing 3D immune structures.”

The C-stem technology, with its good manufacturing practice encapsulation technology, addresses several challenges in the cell therapy industry by enabling the production of high-quality cell therapies at scale.

Bruno stated: “With 3D technology being a new frontier, this could help immensely as we work to better understand TLS biology, which could complement our work in patient samples and physiologically relevant murine models.”

By understanding the complex functions of TLS and applying this knowledge, the collaboration aims to create new treatment methods that utilise the immune system's natural ability to identify and destroy cancer cells.