ENGIMMUNE & CSEM: FAST-TRACKING TCR CANCER THERAPIES

Engimmune and CSEM use AI and microfluidics to accelerate discovery of safe, targeted TCR-based cancer treatments.

"The fact that motivated us to collaborate in addition to the obvious technological synergies, was proximity. We are here in the same location at Main Campus HQ. We had some previous interactions in the past, but this project was born out of our proximity, interaction and discussion."

Rodrigo Vazquez-Lombardi

Co-founder and CSO, Engimmune Therapeutics

Engimmune Therapeutics, a spin-off from ETH Zurich, is developing engineered soluble T cell receptors (TCRs) for the treatment of solid tumors. These therapies offer a promising way to target cancer cells that evade traditional antibody treatments. However, finding effective and safe TCRs requires high-throughput screening technologies that were historically time-consuming and costly.

At Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area – Main Campus, Engimmune partnered with the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) to overcome this bottleneck. The collaboration was sparked by co-location: a chance encounter between CSO Rodrigo Vazquez-Lombardi and CSEM’s Felix Kurth led to a technical exchange that soon evolved into a joint R&D project.

By integrating CSEM’s droplet microfluidics platform into Engimmune’s AI-powered TCR discovery pipeline, the team dramatically increased assay throughput. This microfluidic technology encapsulates individual reactions in nanoliter-sized droplets, preventing cross-contamination and enabling parallel analysis at scale. What once took months to screen can now be accomplished in weeks.

Supported by Innosuisse, the project exemplifies how close proximity and cross-disciplinary collaboration in an innovation park can lead to tangible breakthroughs. It not only advanced Engimmune’s lead programs in oncology but also highlighted the potential of combining machine learning and lab-on-a-chip technologies in therapeutic development. Further partnerships are already being explored to extend the platform to other cell therapy applications.

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