New data from patient-derived lung cancer models highlight Immuto’s ability to identify targetable disease-specific surface protein conformers associated with treatment resistance
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#biotech--Immuto Scientific, a biotechnology company pioneering structural surfaceomics to discover and develop therapeutics against disease-specific surface protein conformers (SPC), today announced new data showing its platform identified novel surface protein conformers associated with treatment resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The data demonstrate how Immuto’s Rover structural surfaceomics platform can reveal disease-specific changes in protein structure that are not defined by mutation or expression alone. In patient-derived, EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma models, Immuto detected specific structural changes on the surface of osimertinib-resistant cells and identified candidate surface protein conformers specific to the resistant state. The company is now advancing therapeutic programs against SPC targets identified from these models.
“Resistance to targeted therapy remains one of the most important challenges in non-small cell lung cancer, and new therapeutic targets are urgently needed,” said Faraz A. Choudhury, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Immuto Scientific. “These data show that structural surfaceomics can uncover disease-specific conformational targets that conventional genomics and proteomics miss. By identifying how surface proteins change shape in resistant disease states, we believe we can open new opportunities for ADCs, multispecifics, and other advanced biologics designed to more selectively target cancer cells.”
Many antibody-based and ADC therapies in NSCLC target proteins that are overexpressed on tumors but are also present in normal epithelial tissues, which can contribute to on-target, off-tumor toxicity and limit dosing. Immuto’s platform is designed to move beyond expression-based target discovery by identifying surface protein conformers that are defined by disease-specific structure rather than mutation or abundance alone.
In the study, conducted with Dr. Byoung Chul Cho, a medical oncologist, clinical trialist, and Professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, specializing in lung cancer, Immuto compared the global structural surfaceome of two EGFR-mutant, patient-derived models, one sensitive to osimertinib and one resistant. Using quantitative LC-MS/MS to measure changes in amino acid surface accessibility and solvent accessibility, Immuto identified 19,020 modified peptides from 3,485 proteins, including 2,518 peptides from 1,072 proteins that exhibited significant changes in solvent accessibility. The analysis also revealed several candidate contributors to resistance, including an EMT-like phenotype in the osimertinib-resistant cells. Together, the findings suggest that structural proteomics can broaden the druggable target space in NSCLC by uncovering conformational targets linked to resistance states.
“Resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy remains a major challenge for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, and new approaches are needed to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities that emerge in resistant disease,” said Dr. Cho. “These data suggest that structural changes on the cancer cell surface may provide an important and previously underexplored source of targets in treatment-resistant lung cancer. The ability to evaluate these changes in patient-derived models could open new opportunities for more selective therapeutic strategies.”
The data will be presented at the inaugural AACR Drug Discovery and Development (D3) Conference, taking place July 21-24, 2026, in Boston. Details are as follows:
Title: Novel, conformational target discovery in TKI-resistant non-small cell lung cancer
Session: Poster Session B
Date and Time: Thursday, July 23, 6:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. ET
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
About Immuto Scientific
Immuto Scientific is redefining target discovery by revealing disease-specific structural changes in cell-surface proteins and advancing first-in-class therapeutics against them. Powered by its AI‑enabled Rover target discovery and Radar epitope-specific antibody discovery 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.
Contacts
Company: Hetal Marble, Chief Business Officer, Immuto Scientific, info@immutoscientific.com
Media: Jessica Yingling, Ph.D., Little Dog Communications Inc., jessica@litldog.com
