MADISON, Wis. ‒ University of Wisconsin–Madison and Immuto Scientific have officially entered into a collaborative agreement to identify disease-specific, novel therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer.
This work will utilize Immuto’s structural surfaceomics platform, an AI-enabled analytics technology designed to discover a new, disease-specific class of therapeutic targets called surface protein conformations, or SPCs, that could enable safer and more precise treatments for solid colorectal cancer tumors. The platform maps the three-dimensional architecture of the cell-surface proteome to reveal an undiscovered druggable space of SPCs.
The collaboration will be led by Dr. Dustin Deming, professor of medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and leading expert in colorectal cancer.
“Our collection of patient-derived colorectal cancer organoids enables exploration of tumor biology and therapeutic vulnerabilities in ways that traditional models cannot,” said Deming, who is also a medical oncologist at the UW Carbone Cancer Center. “Through this collaboration with Immuto Scientific, we aim to identify new molecular targets that may ultimately improve treatment options for patients.”
This work will also provide Immuto Scientific with access to unique, patient-derived organoid models representing microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer. Through this multi-year research effort, Immuto will also apply its high-resolution structural proteomics and AI-enabled analytics to study how cell‑surface proteins differ between tumor and normal tissues.
“Our work with Dr. Deming and the University of Wisconsin–Madison represents an exceptional opportunity to study colorectal cancer in a clinically relevant form,” said Faraz A. Choudhury, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Immuto Scientific. “By integrating patient-derived models with our structural surfaceomics platform, we can reveal previously unseen, disease-specific surface structures for drug targets that open new possibilities for therapeutic intervention.”
The University of Wisconsin–Madison and its affiliated technology transfer office known as Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, or WARF, have a long history of collaborating with and supporting Immuto Scientific. The company was spun out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison based on a technology that was developed as a collaboration between labs in the Electrical Engineering and Biochemistry departments. The technology was patented by WARF and licensed by Immuto Scientific.
Immuto’s research focuses on protein structures that are specific to tumor environments, aiming at identifying and evaluating potential cancer treatments that spare healthy tissues. This academic-industry collaboration between Immuto and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health is the latest chapter in the company’s quest for undiscovered druggable targets, allowing opportunities to explore new approaches to colorectal cancer.
About Immuto Scientific
Immuto Scientific is redefining the landscape of target discovery by revealing the structural fingerprints of disease. Through its therapeutic discovery arm, Immuto is discovering and developing first‑in‑class therapeutics that target structural changes in ‑surface proteins unique to disease. Powered by its AI‑enabled target discovery and epitope‑identification platforms, Immuto discovers novel, targetable surface protein conformations (SPCs) from patient‑derived samples, driving the development of safer, more precise therapies. With its disease‑agnostic platform, Immuto is building a differentiated pipeline with an initial focus on oncology. For more information, visit www.immutoscientific.com.
About the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health is recognized as one of the nation’s leading institutions in health sciences education, research, and service. Founded in 1907 as the medical school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, in 2005 it became the nation’s first school to integrate the disciplines of medicine and public health. With a deep commitment to a vision of healthy people and healthy communities, we translate discovery into application and interconnect clinical care, education and research. The school employs more than 5,600 faculty and staff and provides educational opportunities for nearly 3,000 students and postgraduate trainees. For federal fiscal year 2024, the school ranked #9 in the nation among public medical schools for NIH funding according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Some of the nation’s leading researchers, educators, and clinicians are among the faculty, including several National Medal of Science recipients and National Academy of Science honorees. Visit med.wisc.edu to learn more.
