MAIN CONFERENCE DEC. 16 - PT (Pacific Time, GMT-08:00)
- Janine Schuurman, Ph.D. - Biotech Consultant, Lust for Life Science
- Katherine Harris, PhD - Chief Development Officer, Rondo Therapeutics
Antibodies blocking the immunosuppressive receptor PD-1 on immune cells or its major ligand PD-L1 on tumor and stromal cells have become foundational in oncology. Their wide-ranging applications are now extending across more than 20 cancer types, and from advanced to earlier stages of cancer. The discovery of biomarkers predicting therapeutic response/resistance holds promise for further advancing this mode of cancer therapy.
- Suzanne Topalian, MD - Associate Director, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins Medicine
The discovery of broad and potently neutralizing antibodies against highly immunoevasive viruses like HIV can reveal conserved sites of viral vulnerability. Guided by such extraordinary antibodies, we can rationally design vaccine immunogens that focus the humoral response toward these vulnerable regions in order to reliably induce durable and escape-resistant immunity.
- Bryan Briney, PhD - Associate Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute
The inability of large molecule therapeutics to cross the blood-brain barrier has remained a major obstacle for the treatment of neurological disorders. Numerous strategies have aimed to increase brain exposure of biotherapeutics; approaches which utilize transport across the BBB via the rich capillary network are expected to significantly increase exposure in the brain and additionally result in broad distribution throughout the brain. Our approach utilizes the Transport Vehicle (TV), which binds to receptors, such as the transferrin receptor (TfR) and CD98hc, present on the BBB via modifications to the Fc region of an IgG. The TV-targeted receptors are expressed on brain vascular endothelial cells and enable transport of bound molecules across the BBB to reach target cells in the brain parenchyma. The molecular architecture of the TV platform is highly modular and enables the delivery of numerous types of biotherapeutics, including antibodies, enzymes, proteins, and oligonucleotides with the potential to meaningfully increase drug concentrations and target engagement in the CNS for the treatment of neurological disorders.
- Joy Zuchero, PhD - Senior Director and Staff Scientist, Denali Therapeutics
Proteins mediate the critical processes of life and beautifully solve the challenges faced during the evolution of modern organisms. Our goal is to design a new generation of proteins that address current-day problems not faced during evolution. In contrast to traditional protein engineering efforts, which have focused on modifying naturally occurring proteins, we design new proteins from scratch to optimally solve the problem at hand. Increasingly, we develop and use deep learning methods to design amino acid sequences that are predicted to fold to desired structures and functions. We also produce synthetic genes encoding these sequences and characterize them experimentally. In this talk, I will describe several recent advances in computational protein design.
- David Baker, PhD - Professor of Biochemistry and Director, Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington
Broadly neutralizing antibodies are the major goal of a universal influenza vaccine. This presentation will focus on the identification of a class of broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting a membrane-proximal anchor epitope of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein. I will discuss the challenges of identifying antibodies against membrane-proximal epitopes, how vaccines can induce anchor-specific antibodies, and how anchor-targeting antibodies can be engineered to improve binding breadth and potency.
- Jonathan Sockolosky, PhD - Senior Director, CSO Partner Team, Curie.Bio
- Katherine Harris, PhD - Chief Development Officer, Rondo Therapeutics
- Jenna Guthmiller, PhD - Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
In this presentation, Dr. Reichert will provide an update on the antibody therapeutics currently in late-stage clinical studies, as well as those in regulatory review and recently approved. Trends observed in the burgeoning early-stage pipeline, popular formats and mechanisms of action, as well as common and obscure targets for antibody therapeutics will also be discussed.
Twist Biopharma Solutions, a division of twist Bioscience, combines HT DNA synthesis technology with expertise in antibody engineering to provide end-to-end antibody discovery solutions — from gene synthesis to antibody optimization. The result is a make-test cycle that yields better antibodies against challenging targets from immunization, libraries, and machine learning. Twist Biopharma Solutions will continue to optimize and expand its discovery, library synthesis and screening capabilities in partnership with others to further utilize their make-test cycle.
- Colby Souders PhD - Chief Scientific Officer, Biopharma, Twist Bioscience
At-line nanoparticle-based molecular structure analyses were performed on antibody samples in Clarified Fermentation Broth using ProteometerTM kits, which provide rapid analytical tests for titer, aggregates, and charge variants. The Novilytic Proteometer's nanotechnology is for Process R&D and Discovery scientists/engineers who need a more efficient method of molecular structure analysis. Unlike LC/MS instruments, Proteometers provide fast, accurate, and quantifiable molecular data in-process without sample preparation or Protein A purification.
- Meena Narsimhan, PhD - Director of Process Technology, Novilytic LLC
At OmniAb, we build, shape and mine custom, naturally optimized immune repertoires in divergent species to discover next generation biotherapeutics. We use high throughput phenotypic screening augmented by an AI-guided NGS workflow to navigate the vast sequence space and find high quality leads, bypassing extensive ex-vivo engineering. We demonstrate how we discovered developable anti-NKp46 binders with broad epitope coverage and affinities as building blocks for NK cell engager multispecifics.
- Yasmina Abdiche, PhD - Vice President, Exploratory Research, OmniAb
- Hui Foon Tan, PhD - Global Product Manager, GenScript
- Stuart Sievers, PhD - Senior Director, Discovery Research, Capstan Therapeutics
Many antibody-based drug candidates require additional engineering such as affinity maturation, humanization, cross-reactivity and improved stability for optimal therapeutic efficacy. Here, we discuss TumblerTM, a validated CDR shuffling approach for customizable antibody optimization. This method utilizes diversity from our in-house libraries and near-parental sequence space CDR variants, grafted into a human framework, to minimize redundancy and maximize functional diversity. The talk will highlight a variety of engineering successes, including affinity maturation, induction of cross-binding, and humanization campaigns. The presentation will also showcase how Tumbler maximizes diversity and provides valuable insights about sequence-activity relationships. With over a dozen successful project outcomes across a diverse set of targets, Tumbler offers a robust and flexible antibody engineering solution to help accelerate therapeutic candidates through the drug development process.
- Kalyani Mondal, PhD - Associate Director Protein Sciences/Analytics, Charles River Laboratories
- Jane Seagal, PhD - Vice President, Antibody Discovery, AlivaMab Biologics
We will discuss the key challenges in creating and deploying machine learning for biologics discovery. While creating complex models for discovery and development is becoming commonplace, managing the entire ML model lifecycle is essential for effective use in therapeutic research and maximizing AI investment returns. Discover how a unified platform can streamline AI use in biologics discovery, from model training to consumption.
- Nestor Vazquez Bernat, PhD - Head of Application Science, ENPICOM
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s GeneArt Protein Expression Services offer scalability, reproducibility, and speed in transient expression of recombinant antibodies. We give insight in the technical as well as experimental design process to develop an automated platform with end-to-end traceability in a fully integrated workflow starting from single nucleotides to deliver a purified and polished antibody product.
- Benjamin Gengenbach, Ph.D. - Staff Engineer - Bioprocess Automation, Thermo Fisher Scientific
ATUM’s antibody platform combines ML/AI with production quality expression systems and robust analytics. Antibodies are designed in silico, assisted by AI and knowledge base, synthesized at scale in commercially relevant platforms, and are characterized for functionality and developability features simultaneously. ML models built on these datasets which are built specifically to “learn”, are highly predictive and generate new designs for high-specificity antibodies with developability properties for process development, scale-up, and manufacturing.
- Sridhar Govindarajan, PhD - CIO and Co-Founder, ATUM
OmniHub significantly enhances the operational efficiency of antibody discovery workflows by automating data handling. This reduces manual effort, provides standardization, and minimizes errors. OmniHub integrates machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools, along with bioinformatics pipelines, to create a comprehensive interface that allows internal and partner scientific teams to collaborate through shared data visualization and analysis. As a result, OmniHub lays the foundation for innovative and collaborative scientific discovery.
- Swetha Garimalla, PhD - Director of Computational Immunology, OmniAb
Alloy bispecific discovery services integrate best-in-class platforms with world class scientists to serve as an extension of your R&D team. Building on industry leading mouse platforms for fully human antibody discovery, Alloy has created Common Light Chain strains, ATX-CLC, to build bispecifics with better developability profiles by solving heavy and light chain pairing. Leveraging ATX-CLC Alloy supports bispecific discovery through format engineering and functional assessment to move candidates forward rapidly.
- Lucy Liu, PhD - Vice President, Head of Protein Science and Bioanalytics, Alloy Therapeutics
This session will explore effective strategies for accelerating lead selection from a diverse panel of antibodies. Key techniques presented include proprietary methods for leveraging the unique immune system of rabbits, early epitope landscape profiling, and the use of IPA's in silico-driven humanization workflow. This approach combines thorough risk assessment, early de-risking, and high-throughput, in vitro kinetic profiling, resulting in the rapid delivery of optimized antibodies ready for clinical development.
- Andra Li, Ph.D. - Scientific Director, IPA (ImmunoPrecise Antibodies)
In vitro assays play a central role in biotherapeutic drug development by enabling critical insights into target identification, mechanism of action, and safety profiling. This presentation will provide an in-depth exploration of strategic application of in vitro assays through real-world case studies, illustrating their essential role in optimizing lead selection, assessing risks, and advancing drug candidates in ADC, TCE and autoimmune diseases therapeutics.
- Macy Jin, MD - Director, CRO Services, WuXi Biologics
Natural killer (NK) cells play a vital role in the human innate immune system and NK cell engagers are being explored as a promising approach for cancer and autoimmune disease immunotherapy. Using AvantGen's Germliner™ Library Collection, we've isolated and developed a panel of highly specific fully human CD16a antibodies that exhibit potent activities in killing target cells in various NK cell engager formats.
- Jordon Wang, Ph.D. - COO and SVP of Technology Development, AvantGen
The field of therapeutic antibody engineering is on the brink of a transformative leap forward with the advent of Geneious-Luma-supported computational design. This cutting-edge platform promises unparalleled precision and efficiency in the discovery of next-generation multispecific antibodies (msAbs). This talk will delve into the myriad challenges inherent in researching and developing therapeutic msAbs, and will showcase how the Geneious-Luma computational design platform adeptly addresses these challenges, paving the way for more successful biologics drug treatments.
- Christian Olsen - Associate VP, Industry Principal, Biologics, Dotmatics
- Luciana Rosselli-Murai, PhD - Head of Field Application Scientist (FAS), Products and Instruments Division (USA and Europe), GenScript
- Katherine Harris, PhD - Chief Development Officer, Rondo Therapeutics
- Jamie Spangler, PhD - Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University
The extracellular proteome plays central roles in health and disease. Harnessing TfR1, a constitutive, rapidly internalizing receptor, we developed Transferrin Receptor Targeting Chimeras (TransTACs) for targeted degradation of membrane and extracellular proteins. In two applications, TransTACs enabled the targeting of drug-resistant EGFR-driven lung cancer and reversible control of CAR-T cells. TransTACs represent a promising new family of bifunctional antibodies for precise manipulation of extracellular proteins and for targeted cancer therapy.
- Xin Zhou, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of Biological Chemistry & Mole, Dana-Farber & Harvard Medical School
Utilizing the ability of antibodies as delivery vehicles has resulted in a therapeutic modality known as antibody-drug conjugates or ADCs. As the field advances, new opportunities for antibody-mediated delivery are being explored. This talk will focus on our efforts to link chimeric protein degraders (aka PROTACs) to antibodies, their efficacy and safety, and how this general approach can expand the utility of directed protein degradation as both a biological tool and a therapeutic possibility.
- Thomas Pillow, PhD - Distinguished Scientist, Genentech
Degrader antibody conjugates (DACs) combine the unique strengths of ADCs with selective protein degraders. Our state-of-the-art platform enables DACs broadly. Degraders with different mechanisms of action and diverse structures can be delivered in antigen-dependent manner opening exciting opportunities for this novel therapeutic modality.
- Bernhard H. Geierstanger, Ph.D. - Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Firefly Biologics
- Jyothsna Visweswaraiah, PhD - Director, Biotherapeutics Drug Creation, Seismic Therapeutic
- Sara Colombetti, PhD - Head of Translational Pharmacology, Oncology Discovery, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Roche Innovation Center Zürich
The talk will focus on our pre-clinical and clinical experience with CD27 monoclonal antibodies and consider how their therapeutic activity might be improved.
- Sean Lim, Ph.D. - Professor of Haematology & Translational Immunolog, University of Southampton
A recent clinical trial involving MOv18 IgE, provided tantalising evidence of IgE’s potential for the treatment of cancer. Epsilogen is conducting a phase Ib trial in which translational data will be collated to further understand mechanisms associated with IgE therapy. In addition, Epsilogen has established a pipeline of anti-tumoral IgEs and two novel platforms: bispecific IgE and a hybrid antibody which combines the effector functions of IgE and IgG.
- Kevin Fitzgerald, PhD. - Chief Scientific Officer, Epsilogen
The FORCE™ platform was designed to enhance delivery of oligonucleotide to muscle for the treatment of neuromuscular disorders by conjugating them to an antigen-binding fragment (Fab) that is selective for the human transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1). In this presentation, we introduce the properties and modularity of the FORCE platform and provide evidence of translation between pre-clinical models and clinical proof of concept in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) with DYNE-101.
- Tama Evron, Ph.D - Director, Platform Discovery, Dyne Therapeutics
Technology Showcase Presentation
4:15-4:35 Singularity Sapiens: A Next-Generation Fully Human Single-Domain Antibody Mouse Model for Developing Next-Generation Therapeutics
The Singularity Sapiens Mouse is the latest fully human single-domain antibody (sdAb) model, engineered using advanced genome editing technologies to promote robust immune responses through heavy-chain-only antibodies from the entire human VH repertoire. The one-sequence-one-antibody nature of sdAbs streamlines discovery workflows, enabling versatile screens to identify diverse binders with superior biophysical properties for developing a wide range of biological modalities.
Weisheng Chen, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, Leveragen
- Weisheng Chen, PhD - Founder and CEO, Leveragen
Elimination of extracellular proteins is a compelling therapeutic modality. EpiTACs are bispecific antibodies in which one arm binds a target and the other arm leverages an EpiAtlas of tissue-enriched degrading receptors comprised of transmembrane ligases, cytokine/chemokine receptors, and internalizing receptors resulting in selective degradation of membrane and soluble proteins. EpiTACs elicit robust in-vitro and in-vivo activity in a target-, tissue- and disease-specific manner for a broad range of indications. Compelling data across multiple targets demonstrates that EpiTACs can degrade a target independent of mutational status, are better than neutralizing antibodies in preclinical models, and drive a survival benefit in preclinical tumor models.
- Shyra Gardai, Ph.D. - Chief Scientific Officer, EpiBiologics
Single domain antibodies (sdAbs) are about one-tenth the size of standard antibodies and have several advantages for therapeutic development. We have generated numerous sdAbs from llamas immunized with tau or α-synuclein proteins. The presentation will highlight our key findings to date and ongoing studies.
- Einar Sigurdsson, PhD - Professor, Department of Neuroscience and Physiology Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
The Lysosome Targeting Chimera (LYTAC) is a targeted protein degradation modality that utilizes receptor-mediated endocytosis to drive internalization and lysosome-mediated degradation of extracellular target proteins. In this presentation, we will disclose application of Lycia’s platform to design and generate small molecule conjugate and fully biologic LYTACs that promote strong in vitro and in vivo depletion of protein targets of interest.
- Steve Staben - Chief Scientific Officer, Lycia Therapeutics
The paucity of dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment is considered to be a limiting factor to immune checkpoint blockade efficacy in patients with cancer. These cells can be expanded in vivo by the growth factor FLT3L, however, used in its native form, FLT3L requires daily dosing up to 14 days, hampering its broader use in the clinic. Here we developed a FLT3L with effectorless NG2LH Fc fusion to improve drug-like properties that allows for sustained expansion of dendritic cells upon a single injection, and stimulation of antitumour immunity when combined with an adjuvant and checkpoint blockade in preclinical models. By easing dosing constraints, FLT3L-Fc NG2LH could facilitate exploration of FLT3L based immunotherapies in cancer patients.
- Christine Moussion, PhD - Senior Principal Scientist and Group Head, Cancer Immunotherapy Discovery, Genentech
We show unique mechanisms of flexible homodimerization crucial for the inhibitory function of checkpoint receptor PD-1 and LAG-3, and identified a novel cell surface receptor potently modulating myeloid-associated Type-I IFN responses. These efforts laid the foundation for developing novel immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
- Jun Wang, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
We present our forward translation strategy for evaluating off-the-shelf T cell engagers in combination with costimulatory agonists, employing advanced humanized mouse models to enhance preclinical insights. Our approach bridges the gap between preclinical and clinical research, showcasing the translational relevance of our findings. Additionally, we will share first-in-human Phase 1 clinical data supporting the predictive value of our preclinical platform and its potential to inform therapeutic development. This integrated strategy underscores the promise of our platform in advancing immunotherapeutic approaches
- Sara Colombetti, PhD - Head of Translational Pharmacology, Oncology Discovery, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Roche Innovation Center Zürich