A Method for Individualizing the Prediction of Immunogenicity of Protein Vaccines and Biologic Therapeutics: Individualized T Cell Epitope Measure (iTEM)

Figure 1

Calculating an iTEM score. Using the EpiMatrix report for a peptide, the iTEM score is equal to the difference between the sum of significant scores for an allele (shown in the black boxes above) and the expected score for a peptide of that length. Assessments outside the top 10% (𝑍-scores below 1.28) are hidden for ease of viewing the more significant scores, and assessments are shaded with different levels of darkness to highlight 𝑍-scores that are in the top 5% (1.64–2.32) or top 1% (greater than 2.32). For a subject with two alleles, the iTEM score for each allele is calculated and then added together, as shown in the three equations within the figure. The peptide constant is equal to the product of the number of frames (13 in this example), the expected frequency of hits (0.05), and the expected value for a hit (2.06). For this peptide, an HLA of DRB1*0701/DRB1*1101 would be expected to respond (iTEM score: 6.02).