Main Conference Day 1 - 2026Wednesday, 27 May 2026 - European Time GMT+1

Tetraspanins are a superfamily of four-transmembrane proteins that serve as key organizers of membrane proteins and signaling complexes, playing essential roles in immune cell function. I will share our latest insights into the functions of the tetraspanins CD37 and CD20 in lymphocytes and B cell lymphoma. I will also introduce a novel immunotherapeutic platform that targets CD37 and CD20, demonstrating superior efficacy compared to current standard-of-care antibody therapies

This presentation celebrates fifty years of hybridoma technology that ultimately led to over 200 antibody therapeutics benefiting millions of patients. The evolution of antibody formats will be traced including bispecifics, antibody-drug conjugates, and CAR T cells. Future progress will surely be accelerated by artificial intelligence including multi-parameter optimization. Advances in conditional antigen binding and targeted delivery promise to expand the reach of antibodies to previously undruggable targets and diseases.

The unusually long plasma half-lives of IgG and albumin are regulated by the Brambell receptor, also known as the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). A detailed understanding of how this receptor controls the intracellular and transcellular trafficking of its ligands is therefore essential for the rational design of long-acting protein therapeutics. Here, I will discuss why this complex biology should be considered for all antibody- and albumin-based formats engineered to optimize pharmacokinetics and transcellular transport properties, including receptor antagonists targeting antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases.

Although the first antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) was approved more than 25 years ago, progress was slow over the next 2 decades. There has been a surge of ADC approvals since 2019, with both traditional payloads as well as newer payload and linker technologies. Despite improved clinical activity vs. standards of care for different indications, ADCs have inherent toxicities that were somewhat unanticipated and have highlighted the limitations to current technologies. Recent efforts involve improved conjugation technologies, refining linker design and discovery of more targeted payloads, which will be the focus of this presentation.

Production of bsAbs remains challenging, especially for bsAbs with two distinct light chains, as chain mispairing constrains throughput, yield, and purity. We introduce Quick ‘n’ Clean, an HTP platform for producing diverse bsAb formats, automating steps from expression to purification. The platform rapidly generates bsAbs in both double-tag and tagless formats with high purity and yield. Tagless bsAbs suit ADC conjugation, in vitro assays, and in vivo studies. Quick ‘n’ Clean enables rapid optimal pairing screening and streamlines downstream workflows, establishing a next-gen platform for bsAb R&D.

Complex antibody modalities like multispecifics and Fc-fusions are widening the disconnect between discovery-stage expression and manufacturability, as transient expression systems often don't predict how these molecules will perform when manufactured at scale using stable cell lines. Asimov's Rapid Pools platform addresses this challenge by generating high-throughput stable CHO expression pools using a new high-efficiency transposase, CHO-K1 GS host, and AI-driven vector design. By providing early, CLD-relevant expression and product quality data, Rapid Pools enables developers to derisk lead selection and advance from lead candidate to lead clone RCB within 10 weeks, accelerating the path to the clinic.

The ATUM Antibody Engineering Platform integrates generative AI with a fit-for-purpose design. Using sparse, high-quality wet-lab data, the platform employs machine learning to navigate vast sequence spaces, generating antibody variants optimized for both biological potency and manufacturability. This data-driven approach ensures molecules are tailored for specific clinical applications from inception. By bridging the gap between in silico design and high-titer production via discoCHO and the Leap-In Transposase® technology, ATUM minimizes development risks and significantly accelerates the timeline from initial concept to stable, drug-ready therapeutic candidates.

Bispecific T cell engagers (TcEs) must create an effective immunological synapse, yet how their structural features control potency is poorly defined. We combined solution structural analyses and synapse imaging on supported lipid bilayers to show that both intermembrane distance and complex rigidity critically determine TcE activity. Formats producing close contacts and reduced molecular flexibility enhanced co-stimulatory interactions and cytotoxic responses. These findings provide actionable design principles for next-generation TcE therapeutics.

Successful development of a T-cell engager relies on specifically localizing cytotoxicity to tumor cells of interest with minimal off-tumor activity across the body. Cartography's ATLAS and SUMMIT platforms analyze genome-wide expression profiles to optimally select single antigens and antigen pairs whose expression are restricted to cell populations of interest. This talk will discuss how these platforms have translated into the development of CBI-1214 and other T-cell engagers in Cartography’s pipeline.

Our logic-gated CD3 Switch-DARPins are designed to overcome current limitations of T-cell engagers, such as the lack of clean targets and poor therapeutic windows. We developed a MSLNxEpCAM-targeted Switch-DARPin that contains CD2 costimulation and a masked CD3 moiety that is released to activate T cells only when both TAAs are co-expressed on target cells. This format allows for increased tumor specificity via rational selection of tumor target combinations.