IgE antibodies exert immunological effects in tissues through their very high affinity for cognate Fcε receptors and exert disparate immunological effects such as pathogenic functions in allergies and in engendering immune clearance of parasites. We engineered antibodies with human IgE Fc regions recognising cancer antigens to evaluate as therapeutic agents and to understand the mechanisms by which IgE targeting cancer antigens may operate in the context of tumours. We demonstrated that IgE restricted tumour growth through pro-inflammatory immunological mechanisms and through macrophage recruitment towards tumours. The first-in-class IgE has been translated to clinical testing.  

Speaker:

Professor Sophia N Karagiannis
Translational Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy
King’s College London

The question is no longer, "What if patients were involved in planning clinical trials?" The question now is, "What more can we do to involve them?"

Single B cell screening is an emerging technology for antibody discovery. The platform is ideal because it allows researchers to discover physiologically relevant therapeutic mAbs from any species without significant investment. In this presentation, we will introduce a fast, ultra-high throughput and highly versatile, single B cell platform developed by WuXi Biologics that overcomes many of the limitations of traditional antibody discovery platforms. We will share several case studies on the discovery of antibodies to various targets using the single B cell screening technology.

Speaker:

Jieying Liu
Executive Director (Head of Hybridoma and Assay Center)
WuXi Biologics

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are among the fastest growing class of biologics and are developed as a combination of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and highly potent cytotoxic molecules (drugs). The antibody, in addition to its own biological specificity through its paratope, has the function of a targeted transporting tool of the drug to the targeted cell. The conjugated molecules or particles typically have cytotoxic activity and thus increase the efficiency of the antibody by an additional mechanism, leading to increased death of cells carrying the target antigen. Conjugation of these drugs to antibodies, however, increases structural complexity, which triggers the need for improved characterization methods. Common analytical technologies for characterization of ADCs, such as liquid chromatography, electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry, are useful in enabling the optimization of ADCs but need to be complemented with technologies that can add biophysical and functional information. This session will demonstrate the use of Octet® Bio-Layer Interferometry (BLI) platform in combination with the iQue® High-Throughput Screening (HTS) by Cytometry to characterize and compare the drug trastuzumab to the trastuzumab-containing reference medicinal products Kadcyla® and Enhertu®. Listeners will learn assay considerations for ADCs characterization and the need for complimentary techniques for selection of optimal drug candidates.

Speaker:

David Apiyo, Ph.D.
Senior Manager, Application
Sartorius

Current efforts in T cell engagers primarily rely upon the engagement and activation of CD3, leading to systemic activation of T cells, elevated cytokine release, and poor therapeutic index limited by toxicity. Toward improving therapeutic index and limiting pan T cell activation, we aim to selectively expand and activate virus-specific CD8+ effector memory T cells that are resident in the tumor microenvironment via DuetMab-guided pMHC staging (GPS) molecules.    

Speaker:

John Schardt
Senior Scientist
AstraZeneca

Digital tools play a crucial role in advancing the discovery and design of antibody therapeutics. The use of software can facilitate various tasks such as sequence analysis, molecular modeling, high-throughput screening, and the design of libraries. In this webinar, Dr. Milind Nigam will discuss the significance of software in enhancing the speed of antibody therapeutic discovery. Following him, Dr. Wendy Ochoa from Benchling’s solution excellence team will demonstrate a typical antibody discovery process, emphasizing data management and molecular design on a cloud platform. More specifically we will explore how Benchling’s antibody solution supports scientists by improving team coordination, collaboration, and the sharing of scientific information.

Speakers:

  Milind Nigam, PhD
Leader - Scientific Solutions Consulting
Benchling

 Wendy Ochoa, PhD
Business Development Strategist
Benchling

Vega Shah, PhD
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Benchling

This study investigates the efficacy of rapid and high-throughput label-free kinetics screening in the early stages of antibody discovery, particularly focusing on phage display samples obtained from periplasma. The utilization of BLI (bio-layer-interferometry) during kinetics screening allows for swift analysis and evaluation of antibody performance, offering valuable insights into binding kinetics. The results obtained from this method are compared with those derived from orthogonal technologies, providing a comprehensive assessment of antibody characteristics. Through this comparative analysis, the suitability and reliability of label-free biosensor technology for kinetics screening are assessed in the context of antibody discovery, offering valuable implications for optimizing screening methodologies in early-stage drug development.

Speakers:

Libin Cui, Ph.D.
Founder and CEO
Akeagen, Inc.

Indrani Chakraborty, M.S
Manager of Application
Gator Bio