SEOUL (WAM)
A joint research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and domestic biotechnology firm Neogenlogic has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) model designed to support the development of customised cancer vaccines.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the AI platform identifies neoantigens unique to individual cancer patients, enabling vaccines to train the immune system and help prevent disease recurrence.
"Neoantigens, mutation-derived protein fragments unique to a patient's tumor, are the 'fingerprints' used by vaccines to train the immune system," the team said.
"While current vaccines focus almost exclusively on activating cytotoxic T cells for immediate attack, emerging clinical evidence highlights that B cell-mediated immune memory is the key to durable, long-term antitumor responses and the prevention of recurrence," it added.
According to the research team, its AI model predicts which neoantigens will trigger a "robust B cell response" by learning the structural interaction patterns between mutant peptides and B cell receptors (BCRs).
The team said the study introduces the world’s first AI framework capable of predicting B-cell immunogenicity alongside T-cell responses to design personalised cancer vaccines.