CytoCure LLC
was founded in 1999 in order to capitalize on the discovery that tumors can escape immune destruction by down-regulating expression
of targeted antigens. Importantly, this antigen loss, dubbed "antigen- silencing," is the result of gene regulatory
events that are reversible.
CytoCure's research and development programs have identified numerous compounds which
affect known cellular processes that can be used to up-regulate antigen expression.
CytoCure has submitted a patent
application that claims the use of Interferon-beta to up-regulate antigen expression in combination with immunotherapy. A
Clinical Immunotherapy Trial will test this combination of Interferon-beta (Dunn et al. 2007) and immunotherapy in the
treatment of malignant melanoma.