IgA can be a well-suited isotype for therapeutic application in oncology due to its capacity to activate myeloid cells, especially neutrophils. However, therapeutic use is limited through issues with developability, pharmacokinetics, and in vivo translatability. In my talk, I will address the steps we have taken to employ IgA optimally for oncology.

Speaker:

Mitchell Evers, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands

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.

To further optimize these candidates, we leveraged Gator Bio’s BLI technology for high-resolution binding kinetics and epitope binning, enabling precise antibody characterization and selection. Join us to explore how cutting-edge antibody discovery and advanced bioanalytical tools drive innovation in NK cell engager therapies.

Speakers:

Dr Jordon Wang
COO and SVP of Technology Development
AvantGen

Indrani Chakraborty
Manager of Application
Gator Bio

Antibody fragments such as Fab, ScFv, and VHH are transforming antibody drug development, serving as both independent therapeutics and key components in bispecific antibodies. However, producing and engineering these fragments comes with unique challenges including low yields, impurities, aggregation and stability issues. This talk will showcase cutting-edge solutions to these obstacles, offering insights into molecular engineering, high-titer CHO expression systems, and targeted purification techniques specifically designed for Fab, ScFv, and VHH.

Speakers:

Dr Jiansheng Wu
Head of CRO Services and Senior Vice President
WuXi Biologics

The discovery of antibody drugs that activate signaling pathways has been severely limited by the difficulty of identifying epitopes that support the productive engagement of the signaling complex. Using a combination of experimental and computational approaches, we generated antibodies that activate the ALK1 pathway to treat genetically defined vasculopathies and cardiovascular disorders. The techniques we developed can generate clustering antibodies that activate any receptor complex, opening new opportunities to treat many human diseases with precision biologics drugs.

Speaker:

Alexey Lugovskoy, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Diagonal Therapeutics

Therapeutic development and manufacturing depend on the rapid and cost-effective characterization of cells and selection of sub-populations. This need is growing with the rise of AI-driven in-silico approaches, which require vast datasets for training and validation.

Join us as we introduce Cyto-Mine® Chroma, the next-generation droplet platform transforming live-cell characterization. Discover how fluor spectral multiplexing enhances high-throughput droplet-based assays, expanding assay capabilities and enabling simultaneous measurements on millions of live cells per day. This breakthrough technology increases selection specificity, maximizes data acquisition, and ensures cells remain viable for future use.

Speaker:

Richard Hammond
Chief Technical Officer
Sphere Bio

P. fluorescens-based Pfenex Expression Technology® (Pfenex) transforms protein production through combinatorial screening to identify robust strains. With >20 years of development and 6 marketed products, Pfenex excels where others fail. Launched in 2024, Pfast™ offers an affordable 10-day evaluation of protein titer and quality. Tested on >30 partner proteins, Pfast significantly improved productivity challenges, enabling better pipeline management and seamless integration into existing capabilities.

Speaker:

Russ Coleman
Director, Strain Engineering
Primrose Bio Inc.