NextCure publishes preclinical data on function of FLRT3

NextCure announced the publication of a manuscript titled “The FLRT3-UNC5B Checkpoint Pathway Inhibits T Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapies” in the journal Science Advances, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The publication details preclinical data evaluating the role of Fibronectin Leucine-Rich Transmembrane protein-3 in the inhibition of T cell activity and the use of a monoclonal antibody to reverse these effects. Axon guidance molecules that regulate axonal growth in the developing nervous system have been shown to play a role in the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses. These data demonstrate that cancer cells can exploit AGM protein-protein interactions to evade T cell anti-tumor immunity by acting as checkpoint inhibitors to suppress T cell responses and immune function. Using a genetic screen called “gain of function,” the study demonstrated that FLRT3, an AGM, has a novel function as an inhibitor of T cell activity through UNC5B, an axon guidance receptor that also is expressed on T cells and upregulated on activated human T cells.