ISS Technology > ISS and the Immune System > ISS and the Immune System

ISS and the Immune System

Our product candidates are based on our proprietary immunostimulatory sequences (ISS), which are short DNA sequences that enhance the ability of the immune system to fight disease and control chronic inflammation. These ISS activate the innate immune response by targeting a unique receptor called Toll-Like Receptor 9 (TLR9) found on a specialized subset of dendritic cells. The interaction of TLR9 with ISS triggers the biological events that lead to the enhancement of the Th1 immune response and the suppression of the Th2 immune response.

Rationale for ISS
• ISS work by changing or reprogramming the immune responses that cause disease rather than just treating the symptoms of disease.

• ISS influence helper T cell responses in a targeted and highly specific way by redirecting the response of only those T cells involved in a given disease. As a result, ISS do not alter the ability of the immune system to mount an appropriate response to infecting pathogens.

• Because TLR9 is found only in a specialized subset of dendritic cells, ISS do not cause a generalized activation of the immune system, which might otherwise give rise to an autoimmune response.

• ISS, in conjunction with an allergen or antigen, establish populations of memory Th1 cells, allowing the immune system to respond appropriately to each future encounter with a specific pathogen or allergen, leading to long-lasting therapeutic effects.