Human papillomavirus type 16 E7 epitope-specific T-cell receptor (HPV16 E7 TCR)

The Human papillomavirus type 16 E7 epitope-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) is a specialized receptor used in adoptive T-cell therapy to target HPV16-induced cancers. It is designed to recognize specific epitopes of the E7 oncoprotein, such as E7 11-19, when presented by the HLA-A*02:01 molecule (Draper et al., 2015, Clin Cancer Res). The E7 protein is a critical driver of viral oncogenesis, making it an ideal target as it is expressed exclusively in infected and malignant cells (Hinrichs et al., 2017, J Clin Oncol). Upon binding to the peptide-MHC complex, the TCR triggers T-cell activation, leading to the release of cytotoxic molecules like granzymes and perforins that induce apoptosis in the tumor cells (Nagarsheth et al., 2021, JCI Insight). This therapeutic approach is currently being evaluated in clinical trials for metastatic cervical and oropharyngeal cancers, where it has demonstrated the ability to induce objective clinical responses (Jin et al., 2018, JCI). Because the target is a viral antigen, these TCRs typically exhibit high specificity with a reduced risk of attacking normal tissues compared to TCRs targeting self-antigens.

Other names

HPV16 E7-specific TCRE7-targeted T-cell receptorHPV-16 E7 TCRE7 TCR-T

TCR-mediated recognition of HPV16 E7 peptide-HLA-A*02:01 complexes on tumor cells, leading to T-cell activation and direct lysis of the malignant cells.