The Chain: Protein Engineering Podcast

In this month’s episode of The Chain, Greg M. Thurber, associate professor of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan, sits with moderator Nimish Gera, vice president of biologics at Mythic Therapeutics, to talk about the development of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Thurber details the history of ADCs and the skepticism facing the field during the mid-2010s, despite showing great promise in anticancer treatment. He also discusses how recent FDA approvals and breakthroughs have reignited interest and pivoted research toward designing more successful ADCs. Finally, he shares his thoughts on the exciting developments in the field in the next few years, including how ADCs could play a key role in polytherapy. 

Kyron.Bio is revolutionizing drug production with its Next Generation Bioproduction Platform that will make the production of therapeutics easier, cheaper and faster. Voldborg and McLaughlin talk about their shared vision for using synthetic biology to improve the production of therapeutic proteins. 
 
Kyron.Bio: https://kyron.bio/  

In this month’s episode of the Chain, guest Peter Tessier, Albert M. Mattocks pharmaceutical sciences and chemical engineering professor at the University of Michigan, speaks with moderator Tariq Ghayur, scientific advisor and entrepreneur in residence at FairJourney Biologics, about expediting the developability of antibodies. He discusses the characteristics that best predict a molecule’s drug-like properties, the different assays used for various intended outcomes, and why every scientist must assess the “greatest potential impact” before embarking on a new experiment. Tessier also talks about the core traditions that help him lead students in the lab while fostering a learning environment of ownership, integrity, and self-motivation. Last, he shares his predictions on how computational data will advance antibody discovery and developability in the future. 

Dr. Andrew Anzalone, head of the Prime Editing Platform and scientific co-founder at Prime Medicine, is the winner of the PEGS Boston 2023 Young Scientist Keynote. He was invited to sit down with Brandon DeKosky, assistant professor of chemical engineering at MIT, to discuss prime editing and its precision in treating inherited genetic mutations. Anzalone outlines the next generation tool’s advantages over traditional CRISPR methods and the mechanism creating fewer gene editing errors. He also discusses his clinical training and background, the ongoing projects at Prime Medicine in engineering proteins for cell-based therapeutics, and his thoughts on the current challenges and future developments in gene editing and precision medicine. 

Links from this episode:  
Prime Medicine 
PEGS Boston Conference & Expo 

Jan Terje Andersen, professor of biomedical innovation in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Oslo and research group leader in the Department of Immunology at the Oslo University Hospital, has spent nearly two decades studying neonatal Fc receptors (FcRns) and their interactions with prominent blood proteins albumin and IgG. He sits down with moderator Nimish Gera, vice president of biologics at Mythic Therapeutics, to discuss the unique properties of FcRn and how it can be leveraged for novel therapeutic development. Additionally, Andersen details the mechanics of FcRn binding, why it prolongs albumin and IgG half-lives, and notable FcRn technological advancements and research findings in animal and human models. He also talks about engineering blood proteins for optimal function and launching his new venture, Authera, the preclinical stage biotech company using an FcRn-centered platform to study the receptor’s versatility across multiple cell types. 

Links from this episode:  
University of Oslo
Mythic Therapeutics 
Authera 

In this month’s episode of the Chain, Jim Wells, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and cellular and molecular pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco, sits down with moderator Ben Hackel, associate professor of chemical engineering and materials science at the University of Minnesota, to discuss Wells’ work in advancing targeted protein degradation. 

Wells outlines the key design elements of targeted protein degraders and their general mechanism of action, how his lab developed antibody-based PROTACs—also known as AbTACs—to target extracellular proteins, and the innovative work from industry leaders that inspired his lab’s discoveries. He also speaks about the lingering questions driving ongoing and future projects, the challenges facing the protein degradation space, and why he considers himself a “pirate of biology” rather than an inventor. 

Links from this episode:  
University of California, San Francisco
University of Minnesota
Development of Antibody-Based PROTACs for the Degradation of the Cell-Surface Immune Checkpoint Protein PD-L1
PEGSBoston Conference and Expo 

Over the last two decades, cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has transformed from what Dr. Andrew Ward calls the “outcast of structural biology” to one of the most promising technologies in the field. Ward, professor of integrative structural and computational biology at Scripps Research Institute, speaks with moderator Brandon DeKosky, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about the evolution of cryo-EM and how its direct detector transformative technology enables scientists to craft favorable antibody responses. 

Ward also talks about cryo-EM’s technological advantages when working with proteins, sterilizing immunity, and designing accurate structural biology pipelines that lead to next-generation vaccines. Finally, Ward offers his predictions about the immunological breakthroughs he thinks structural biologists will accomplish in the very near future.
 
Links from this episode:  
Scripps Research Institute
PepTalk Conference
Discovery on Target Conference 

Dame Jane Osbourn, chief scientific officer at Alchemab Therapeutics, speaks with Ahuva Nissim, antibody and therapeutic engineering professor at Queen Mary University of London William Harvey Research Institute, about the career path that took her from studying molecular biology and building human phage libraries to developing therapeutics with convergent protective antibodies. Osbourn talks about the most inspiring mentors of her career, her interest in immunological resiliency, the importance of studying neurodegenerative diseases, and her drug discovery work at Alchemab Therapeutics. Finally, she talks about the technological advancements she hopes will move precision medicine forward in the near and distant future. 

Charlotte Deane, professor of structural bioinformatics at the University of Oxford and upcoming speaker at the 14th Annual PEGS Europe Conference in Barcelona, joins moderator Brandon DeKosky, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to discuss the use of machine learning in antibody structure prediction. 

In this episode, Deane talks about her lab's AI tools for high-throughput prediction pipelines and why collecting general antibody property data will produce better models. She also speaks about the importance of using and building publicly available data sets and her thoughts on what it will take to finally generate a complete antibody design from a computer. 

Links from this episode:  
University of Oxford Department of Statistics
SAbDAb: The Structural Antibody Database
PEGS Europe 
The Critical Assessment of protein Structure Prediction (CASP) 

After over 25 years as an intellectual property (IP) attorney, Jane Remillard, Nelson Mullins patents and biotechnology IP senior partner, is well-versed in navigating drug development and antibody patent law. In this episode, Remillard speaks with moderator Nimish Gera, Mythic Therapeutics vice president of biologics, about the intersection between science and law, the primary steps recommended to patent a scientific discovery, and how the antibody IP landscape has evolved in recent years. She also talks about the importance of implementing a strategy regarding the number and types of antibody patents filed, her advice to anyone considering a career in IP law, and what to expect from the industry moving forward. 

Links from this episode:  
Nelson Mullins
Mythic Therapeutics 

Dr. Nimish Gera, Head of Biologics at Mythic Therapeutics, sits down with Christina Lingham, Executive Director of Conferences and Fellow at Cambridge Healthtech Institute, in this Episode of the Chain to talk about how the developability of bispecific antibodies topic came about, how the field is changing, new bispecific molecules coming through the pipeline, and his expectations for the future.

Rene Hoet is working for over 20 years in Biotech and Pharma Industry focusing on Antibody Research and development.

Since April 1 2021 Rene works as Chief Scientific Officer at Montis Biosciences, Leuven, Belgium to develop the next generation Immuno-Oncology drugs using a novel approach interfering in the Tumor Endothelial Cell and Perivascular Macrophage Interactions to restore a immunocompetent tumor microenvironment.

From Oct. 2018 till 26 March 2021 Rene worked as Chief Scientific Officer at Imcheck Therapeutics (Marseille, France) reporting to the CEO where he built up a successful mAb research & development group on first in class mAbs (and bispecifics) in immune-oncology targeting butyrophilins and immune modulating gammadelta T cell and macrophage subsets. In Nov. 2019, Rene together with the CEO raised 48 M euro series B investment and moved ICT01 an antibody to BTN3A1, the first activating gammadelta T cell mAb, from preclinical stage into the clinic (start clinical trial March 2020).

From 2010-2018 Rene worked for Bayer AG as Vice President Biologics Research (Cologne, Germany), part of the Biologics Research & Development leadership team at Bayer reporting to the Sr. VP. Biologics Research & Development. His group was responsible for Antibody Discovery and Optimization for all therapeutic areas in Bayer (incl. Cardiovascular Diseases, Oncology, Gynecology,Hematology and Autoimmunity) and during this period a number of antibodies from Bayer´s  internal pipeline entered into the clinic. Anetumab (Mesothelin-ADC), FXIa  (phase II), C4.4.a-ADC, FGFR2-ADC, PRLR, TIFPa, CD22-TTC, CEACAM6 (all phase I). 

In addition Rene was appointed in 2012 to extraordinary Prof. Biopharmaceutics at the University of Maastricht, The Netherlands to guide researchers to use antibodies to Bridge the Gap between academic research and pharma applications.

Between 2008-2010 Rene worked at Genmab as Sr. Director Research and was heading up Product Related Research, Scientific Communication & Translational Research. His team was driving new Antibody Discovery Programs and was also actively supporting Clinical Antibody Programs of Ofatumumab (CD20) (FDA approved 2009) and Daratumumab (CD38) (FDA approved 2015). 

From 1997-2008 Rene had various positions at Dyax and became V.P. Research and Operational Manager of Dyax sa. Rene and his team were driving internal Antibody Lead Discovery (in Dyax Liege Belgium and Cambridge US) as well as external collaborations and supporting out-licensing of Dyax antibody phage libraries. From the antibody phage libraries he developed at Dyax now 4 antibodies have been approved Ramucirumab (KDR), Lilly, 2014, Necitumumab (EGFR), Lilly, 2015, Avelumab (PDL-1) EMD Serono/Pfizer, 2017, and lanadelumab (kallikrein), Shire, 2018). In addition over 10 antibodies from this mAb library from various companies are still in clinical trial. Rene obtained his PhD at the Un. Nijmegen, the Netherlands and performed a post-doctoral study at the Un. Cambridge U.K.with Prof. G. Winter (nobel prize winner 2018). He contributed to over 40 scientific papers and is inventor on 20 patent /patent applications.

A University of Alabama Birmingham researcher was frustrated with inconsistent solutions and processes for purifying unique proteins and set out to develop a new approach for high throughput protein purification. Thus was the seed idea for TriAltus Bioscience, which aims to bring protein purification technology from the research bench to the production environment. The Chain spoke with Bob Shufflebarger, CEO of TriAltus to give the background story and insights into future developments. TriAltus lab manager Naomi Logsdon joined the conversation to share her scientific background and passion for discovery, plus explain the novel technology used in TriAltus purification.

Naomi Logsdon, Lab Manager, TriAltus Bioscience
Naomi Logsdon is a molecular biologist and laboratory manager with over 30 years of experience and an outstanding record of scientific research in both academic and industrial settings.  She is a co-author on more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and holds two gene patents. Logsdon graduated from Rice University cum laude with a B.A. in Biology.  She began her research as an undergraduate assistant and was co-author on four research publications studying oxygen radical toxicity.  Cell biology and cancer were the focus at subsequent positions at Baylor College of Medicine, DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals, and the University of Delaware.  Protein expression and purification became an area of interest at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, where she evaluated several expression systems for use in high-throughput screening.  She also cloned two novel potassium channels as potential drug targets.  She later joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) at the Center for Biological Sciences and Engineering, where her protein expression and purification skills were applied to crystallographic studies of interleukins.  She held managerial and technical positions in several other labs at UAB prior to joining TriAltus in 2019. 

Bob Shufflebarger, CEO, TriAltus Bioscience
Bob Shufflebarger is a life sciences industry veteran. He has more than 25 years’ experience in various facets of life science and technology businesses, from his earliest years working at the scientific bench to experience directing operations, finance, and marketing; developing turnaround strategies, and initiating and completing licensing deals. Shufflebarger founded TriAltus Bioscience in 2017 to commercialize novel protein purification technology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Prior to TriAltus, Shufflebarger worked at Atherotech Diagnostics for 16 years, where he held positions within the company including Finance Director, Vice President of Operations, and Chief Operating Officer. As COO he initiated a business pivot that led to revenue turnaround and substantial growth, culminating in sale to a Private Equity firm and eventual growth to more than $100M in annual revenue.

Shufflebarger earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Birmingham-Southern College and an MBA from Duke University. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Venture Club for 10 years, and served Board President in 2015 and 2016. He chaired the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk in 2015 and is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Birmingham. 

The Chain looks back to earlier this year when researchers virtually convened on the one-year anniversary of the first documented case of COVID-19 in the United States. This episode brings you a panel discussion from PepTalk Protein Science and Production Week, moderated by Karla Satchell, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Co-Director of the Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University. The panel discusses the role of data integration for the rapid R&D of therapeutics and vaccines, the immediate challenges in the new year – as the Delta variant spreads this summer in the United States -- and how we can transform nearsighted lessons learned into a farsighted vision of pandemic preparedness. 

Moderator: 

Karla Satchell, PhD, Professor, Microbiology; Principal Investigator and Co-Director, Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University

Panelists:

William Gillette, PhD, Principal Scientist, Protein Expression Laboratory, Leidos Biomedical Research

Arvind Ramanathan, PhD, Computational Biologist, Argonne National Laboratory

Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD, Professor, La Jolla Institute for Immunology

Anupam Singhal, PhD, Senior Product Manager, Antibody Discovery, Marketing, Berkeley Lights, Inc.

Nancy Sajjadi joins The Chain to share her quality control knowledge and experience of adopting a quality-by-design approach for assays. We discuss how the focus of her QC work has changed through the years, and what kind of challenges she foresees as the cell and gene therapy fields move forward. Ms. Sajjadi talks about consulting with clients who are developing cutting edge therapies and explains her approach of creating a “culture of quality” within scientific organizations to lead to more successful outcomes.   

Nancy Sajjadi, Independent Quality Consultant
Nancy Sajjadi, M.Sc. is an independent quality consultant with over 30 years of experience in biopharmaceutical product development. She began her career as a bench scientist doing malaria vaccine research before turning to development of cell and gene using therapy retroviral vectors for infectious disease, cancer, and cell therapy applications. Her responsibilities there included research, development, and quality control. She left her position as Director of QC at Chiron Technologies Center for Gene Therapy, in 2000 and to start a consulting business.   

She has provided services to biopharmaceutical companies, contract laboratories, non-profit organizations, universities, and US government agencies. She has assisted clients in the development, implementation, and improvement of quality programs for a range of biopharmaceutical products in early phase development.  She also has provided technical expertise in assay development, qualification, and validation. Ms. Sajjadi has authored several articles pertaining to bioassays and viral gene therapy, has served on 5 advisory panels for the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and teaches introductory courses in bioassay design, development, and validation for non-statisticians.

In this episode, Dr. Willem Overwijk returns for a conversation with Dr. Éric Vivier. Dr. Vivier is a professor of immunology at Aix-Marseille and a hospital practitioner at Marseille Public University Hospital. Éric Vivier is also the Chief Scientific Officer at Innate Pharma, a clinical-stage biotech company that creates novel antibodies that activate the immune system to treat patients with cancer. They discuss Dr. Vivier’s scientific background, the importance and the potential of Natural Killer cells, and the next wave of immunotherapy.

This episode of The Chain features a live panel discussion moderated by Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD of La Jolla Institute for Immunology. Expert panelists from academia and government assess the COVID-19 antibody and vaccine development thus far, including what did and did not go well during the pandemic. They also look towards the future and the role mRNA vaccines may play for diseases like influenza, what we learned about the United States’ ability to manufacture during surge production, and what infrastructure is still needed to fight both the current crisis and future outbreaks. 

• Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD, Professor, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
• Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, FASTMH, FAAP, Dean, National School of Tropical Medicine; Professor, Departments of Pediatrics, Molecular Virology & Microbiology; Co-Head, Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine; Health Policy Scholar, Baylor College of Medicine
• Lakshmi Krishnan, PhD, Vice-President, Life Sciences, National Research Council Canada, Government of Canada
• Peter W. Marks, MD, PhD, Director, FDA CBER

The Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University was prepared for COVID-19 long before the United States economy shut down. Now over a year since COVID-19 was first recorded in the U.S., co-director Dr. Karla Satchell speaks with The Chain about the role of structural genomics in preparing for disease outbreak and response.

Karla Satchell, PhD, Professor, Microbiology; Principal Investigator and Co-Director, Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University
Dr. Karla Satchell is a Professor of Microbiology-Immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine since 2000. She is also the Principal Investigator for the NIAID-funded Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, a multi-site center in high-throughput structure determination for microbial pathogens. In 2020, the Center dedicated significant resources to structural biology of SARS-CoV-2, including efforts to provide structural biology data to support development of novel drugs, vaccines, and therapeutics. Across all areas of research, she has published more than 100 research articles. She has also been elected as a Fellow for the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Linoleic acid is an essential free fatty acid in the human body and its metabolic pathway is central to immune regulation and inflammation – which are also key symptoms in COVID-19. Using cryo-electron microscopy, Christine Toelzer’s research identified linoleic acid bound to a hydrophobic pocket of the SARS-CoV-2 glycoprotein. Christine shares her thoughts on how these findings will contribute to the fight against COVID-19 and how her lab work has been altered by the pandemic. Christine also discusses the future of other young scientists coming up in the protein science space. 

Christine Toelzer is currently a Research Associate at the University of Bristol. After a M.Sc. in biology and an additional M.Sc. in physics she continued with PhD work in biochemistry at the University of Cologne. Her research has always focused on structure function relationships, starting with structure determination of biotechnologically important proteins by x-ray crystallography, magnetic structure determination of inorganic compounds by neutron diffraction and recently using electron cryo-microscopy to obtain the structure of large protein complexes involved in transcription and diseases. In the last year (2020) she started coronavirus related work to contribute to the global effort aimed at better understanding the virus and uncover its potential weaknesses.

About the Young Scientist Keynote Award:
This recognition honors a young scientist from the international protein science community who has contributed to scientific advancement and innovation in this field. Nominations were solicited from across academic and industry research groups in the fall of 2020, and the finalists were determined through the votes and input of our 15-person advisory panel.

In this episode we talk with Dennis Karthaus of IBA Lifesciences about his early science interests and pursing his PhD. His passion for marine biology eventually led him on a path to study biotechnology, where he now focuses on protein expression and purification. Specifically, tag-based purification that can help researchers increase lab productivity. But, as our guest explains, scientists should consider their specific bottlenecks and applications for the protein of interest, to determine if a tag is right for them. 

In a roundtable discussion, three experts bring perspectives on different methods for generating antibodies, including generating antibodies from naive libraries, patients, and immunizations. They discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the advantages of refocusing on infectious disease research. As well as the importance of having ready immune libraries and immunized mice, plus other approaches, ahead of any future infectious disease outbreak. 

The purification requirements in the biopharmaceutical industry will be even more demanding in the coming years due to increased awareness of product-related impurities like oligomers, variants, positional isomers, and glycoforms. These impurities need to be separated from the final product. Dr. Raja Ghosh’s work focuses on the design and development of efficient chromatography devices that combine high-speed with high-resolution in separation. He speaks with Dr. David Wood of the Ohio State University about how the chromatography devices he is developing address these challenges. 

On this episode of The Chain, Dr. Willem Overwijk shares his personal experience of his recent transition from academia to industry, and the differences between the two. Dr. Overwijk moved to industry, in part, to follow his research interest in a specific molecule that he had been working on since graduate studies: interleukin-2. Thanks to advances in protein engineering, this once ultra-potent molecule now can be administered with lower toxicity while still being an effective cancer therapy. We discuss IL-2, plus the exciting future of protein engineering in immuno-oncology. 

Dr. Dimiter Dimitrov, Director of the Center for Antibody Therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh, sits down with The Chain to discuss his research and its relevance to the current pandemic. His work focuses on human VH domains, which in contrast to the animal antibody domains, like llama and shark, may have lower probability of immunogenicity. Dr. Dimitrov helps develop several such domains, most recently against SARS2, and one of which that is in production for evaluation in human clinical trials. Beyond COVID-19, Dr. Dimitrov explains that clinical trials for various cancer-related proteins and HIV are also underway, showing the vast potential for domains both for industry growth and life-saving therapies. 

Dan Chen returns for the Science Commune segment and speaks with Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). Dr. Marks reflects on his fortuitous path from academia to industry to government, plus the differences between each area. Dr. Marks explains the research and regulatory role of CBER, especially as it pertains to the latest cell therapies. And finally, the two discuss the impressive speed of COVID-19 vaccine science breakthroughs and regulatory approval. 

Christian Klein is a longtime and key member of the protein and antibody community. In this episode, he speaks with Executive Conference Producer, Christina Lingham, on how the field has changed since their first collaboration. Dr. Klein offers an overview of the latest applications of bispecific antibodies, including the latest progress of clinical trials by Roche and others. He also explains how the PD1-X molecule is unique and can increase specificity of therapeutics even more. 

There are no bad ideas in developing bioanalytical testing, says Jim McNally, CSO of BioAgilytix. Not all ideas will work, of course. But he has found that it is the outside-the-box ideas that often turn out to be the solution in challenging assay work. Dr. McNally speaks with The Chain about his background in bioanalytical testing and supporting clinical trials, the exciting future of cell and gene therapies, and the importance of setting precedent in bioanalysis of these new, life-saving therapies. It is an exciting time for gene therapy especially, and Dr. McNally shares how new immunogenicity data is getting us closer to bringing this therapy to more people.

There are some proteins that still evade scientists in the race for better therapeutics. Some of the most elusive drug targets in cancer research are RAS oncoproteins. In a paper published this July, researchers demonstrated the delivery of an extremely potent pan-RAS-cleaving enzyme, opening the door for the first targeted pan-RAS inhibitor for cancer therapy. In this episode we speak with two of the researchers from this project, a cancer biologist and a protein engineer, to learn what sparked their collaboration and what their system means for the future of cancer biologics. 

Carolyn Bertozzi grew up in a science family with a physicist father. But it was organic chemistry that “clicked” for Carolyn and started her down the path of understanding biology at a molecular level. Daniel Chen and Carolyn Bertozzi discuss her work in glycobiology. Bertozzi’s research finds that glycosylation has consequences in immune modulation, and that glycobiology plays an important role in human disease that has historically been underexploited in drug development. Finally, Chen and Bertozzi talk about gender representation in science and the importance of female role models for both women and men.

What was science like before the shift to big data technology? How did biologists learn about cells before we could do high throughput gene analysis? What we can learn about how to problem solve from those who helped get us to where we are today? In this Science Commune episode, Dr. Rik Derynck helps us answer those questions by sharing his stories as a young scientist in the “primitive” early days of cell biology. Derynck talks about his work on TGF-β and how his early pursuit of the unknown helped inspire new methodologies for problem solving that carry into his work today. Derynck looks towards the future of the field as biologists gain understanding of TGF-β’s role in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. 

In this Science Commune segment, Dr. Daniel Chen and Dr. Pablo Umaña discuss what it means to be both a scientist and an engineer while utilizing principles from both disciplines to solve problems and advance innovation. 

Dr. David Wood is working on novel technology with self-cleaving tags, but he knows the importance of failure in the grand scheme of success, as well as mentorship, making your own way, and going your own speed. 

Sara Mangsbo is Entrepreneur of the Year, but her journey to success is much more than one title or one year. She shares the process and her biggest takeaways of building a company that is developing novel immunotherapies to fight cancer.  

In the fight against Coronavirus, there have been many calls for widespread testing. Dr. Nathan Ledeboer explains the power diagnostic testing has when combatting a pandemic, and the importance for collaboration in innovation during this time.  

The coronavirus has swept the globe, bringing governments, economies, and society to its knees. Infectious disease expert, Dr. Rita Rio discusses current suppression policies and long-term implications for the public, as well as healthcare systems and the scientific community. 

Today’s episode features a conversation with Dr. Tatiana Novobrantseva, Co-Founder and CSO of Verseau Therapeutics.  In this interview, we discuss five trends in the development of cancer immunotherapies and how these will impact patients and biopharmaceutical research and development.

Science Commune is a segment of The Chain that goes beyond the science and explores the people making discoveries. We discuss their career paths, passions, and the people who inspired them along the way. Join Dr. Daniel Chen as he speaks with Dr. Bruce Keyt, who is the Chief Scientific Officer at IGM Biosciences about connections between engineers, biologists, artists, and the inspiration that sparks innovation. 

Hank Greely, JD is a leading expert in law, and particularly its applications in scientific advancement, and the ethical concerns brought about by gene editing, specifically. Recent events, including the He Jiankui case, have captured international attention as the scientific community, national governments, and citizens of the world ask, “How far is too far?” when it comes to gene editing. Dr. Greely lends his insight into the case and shares the biggest lessons we can learn and apply to future advancements. 

Today’s episode continues the conversation with the 2019 and 2020 PEGS Young Scientist Keynote speakers, focusing on the challenges of their day to day work, the translation of major biotherapeutic and vaccine projects into the clinic and tips for young scientists considering careers in the field. 

Today’s episode features a conversation with the 2019 and 2020 PEGS Young Scientist Keynote presenters. We explore their work in protein science, its impact on global health and some exciting initiatives now underway in their labs. 

Some scientists dream of genes. Cenk Ündey dreams of intelligent data flow through the value-added chain of biotherapeutic protein development. Ündey is an Executive Director of Process Development at Amgen. He sits down with The Chain to describe a system of streamlined and effective data management at every step: From molecule delivery to working with suppliers. Thanks to advanced computing power, broader datasets, and improved storage, this dream is closer to realization than ever before. 

One of the greatest afflictions associated with cancer is its spread throughout the body and organs, known as metastasis. What if a therapeutic could be engineered to block the pathway of metastasis, thus blocking cancer’s progress? This is precisely the crux of Dr. Jamie Spangler’s research. Her group has, first, delineated cancer’s pathway, and, secondly, has engineered multi-specific antibodies that potently block metastasis. Dr. Spangler’s work combined with anti-cancer therapies shows exciting promise in the fight to overcome the ravages of cancer. In this podcast, Dr. Spangler discusses her work in considerable detail, and also describes her personal journey and transformation into protein science. 

Javin Oza observed the separation of scientists and engineers on university campuses, at conferences, and in classrooms. Yet he also noted that advances in biochemistry require perspectives from both bioengineers and lab scientists. Oza’s current research aims to bridge the gap between these thought-approaches to bring about advancements in cell-free protein synthesis. He speaks with The Chain about barriers to implementing CFPS, what resources are available for the transition to cell-free systems, and advice for young protein scientists. 

Dr. Paolo Arosio Professor of Biochemical Engineering at ETH Zurich speaks to Nandini Kashyap, Conference Director at CHI about his love for building blocks and how he is applying microfluidics to solve challenges in biologics product development. They discuss the role of protein aggregation and developability in taking the molecules from a sequence to a drug product. 

Versatope Therapeutics, Inc. was recently awarded up to $17.9 million by the NIH to develop a universal influenza vaccine. CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Christopher Locher walks us through the early days of Versatope, and how it has come to be a key player in the fight for influenza prevention. He shares the story of a start-up from inception to the front lines of vaccine development. 

Today’s episode explores the growing field of systems immunology, and how new informatics tools will be used in this discipline to discover and develop the next generation of biotherapeutics for cancer, infectious diseases and other conditions. 

Dr Parren speaks about advances in the field of T cell engaging bispecifics. Recent advances in bispecific antibody production and  clinic successes have resulted in increased interest, but several disadvantages remain when targeting via CD3, the most common approach. CD3 is present on all T cells which means there is poor specificity and activity, and also toxicity.

At Lava Therapeutics, Paul and his colleagues are targeting A specific effector T-cell subset via the γδT cell  (gamma delta T cell) marker Vδ2. These γδT cells are a homogeneous population of pro-inflammatory effector T cells that are able to recognize and attack tumour cells with increased efficacy and safety. previously it has been shown that the high presence of these γδT cells in tumors correlates with increased survival. 

Lava Therapeutics’ first product will enter the clinic at the end of next year.

Dr. Massimo Morbidelli is giving the Keynote Presentation in the “Protein Purification Technologies” conference that’s part of CHI’s 11th annual PEGS Summit Europe in Lisbon Portugal.  Dr. Morbidelli is an internally recognized expert in protein purification, and shares his insights about continuous processing, its applications, challenges and future outlooks.

Continuous countercurrent chromatography is recognized as the technology of choice for a number of instances in the area of protein purification. Approaching its maturity stage, this technology has to be reconsidered with respect to crucial aspects for its future development. In particular, we discuss issues related to scalability in the GMP environment, model-based process characterization and validation, as well as process automation, control and digitalization particularly in the context of continuous integrated manufacturing.

Dr. Lars Linden will be presenting during the Optimisation & Developability conference at PEGS Europe Summit, November 18-22, in Lisbon, Portugal. He speaks with CHI on August 6, 2019 to share his current responsibilities and how they have and will continue to evolve, especially with AI and machine learning in the horizon.

Topics discussed include how developability assessments, combined with in silico assays and in vitro high throughput methods, are able to rank candidates quickly in discovery, to advance the best ones to lead optimization and help select the right molecules. This is especially useful with today’s myriad molecules from bi- to multi-specifics to different types of conjugates. Dr Linden further discusses the role and impact of AI and machine learning to accelerate and simplify drug discovery, and better predict and optimise molecules throughout the R&D value chain.

Over fifty years since its first use, Dr. Marco Casteleijn breaks down the resurgence of cell-free protein synthesis and its application across industries, including VTT’s research of cell-free proteins for pharma and the fashion industry. Plus, we discuss the importance of science writing to describe discoveries and communicate findings with funders and the public.

Science Commune is a segment of The Chain that goes beyond the science and explores the people making discoveries. We discuss their career paths, passions, and the people who inspired them along the way. Join Daniel Chen as he speaks with Teemu Junttila of Genentech about how his childhood in Finland inspired his work today with bispecific antibodies targeting solid tumors. 

Bjørn Voldborg of the Technical University of Denmark speaks to CHI on July 18, 2019. He will be speaking during the Optimising Expression Platforms meeting at PEGS Europe, 18-22 November, in Lisbon, Portugal.

Topics include the impact of big data on cell line engineering, his team’s success in producing Alpha-1 antitrypsin, the appeal of applied science and  more.

The Chain is a new podcast all about protein engineering and exploring the industry of biologics. We will learn from the experts what is new in the field and where it is heading. We will also be learning more about the people behind the papers, go into how they got to where they are today, and what inspires their work. We hope you’ll tune in to learn more about the science and minds that are changing the world one experiment at a time.