Endotope

Endotope is a virtual startup developing a nucleic acid-based vaccine that desensitizes T cells to the epitopes they are reactive to and skews them to a non-responsive state or to a regulatory function. This treatment approach, developed in Dr. Remi Creusot’s lab, could be beneficial for autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis, but the company’s initial focus is treating patients with T1D. T1D affects an estimated 38.7 million people worldwide and the incidence is increasing by ~3% each year, yet there are no available treatments that target the underlying cause of the disease. Preclinical studies in mice indicate that Endotope treatment can delay the onset of diabetes and reduce the incidence.

Columbia TRx Cohort: 2018-2019

Focus Area(s): Autoimmune Diseases, Immunotherapy