The Chain: Protein Engineering Podcast

Andreas Plückthun, a leading biochemist at the University of Zurich, shares insights on the role of AI and machine learning in antibody and protein engineering. He discusses the importance of epitope specificity in drug development and the challenges in accessing and curating high-quality data. The conversation also covers advancements in predictive models and the necessity of experimental validation to enhance therapeutic protein design. Plückthun emphasizes the need for integrating diverse data modalities and improving methodologies to overcome existing hurdles in the field.

February 21, 2025 | This episode marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most influential papers in biomedical science—the 1975 Milstein and Köhler paper on hybridoma technology, which paved the way for monoclonal antibodies. Ralph Minter, Biotech CSO/CTO, discusses this important milestone with a true pioneer in the field, Sir Greg Winter, Nobel Laureate and one of the key figures in the development of therapeutic antibodies. 

In this episode of The Chain, host Andrew Bradbury, CSO of Specifica, an IQVIA business, speaks with Randolph Lopez, CTO and co-founder of A-Alpha Bio, about how A-Alpha Bio is changing the game of protein-protein interactions with their platform AlphaSeq. Lopez delves into the origins, the process, the successes, and the possibilities of the company’s platform and how it can help with epitope mapping, affinity predictions, and off-target binding. With the data the platform generates, Lopez also discusses how this affects the potential of AI and ML. LINKS:    Bionavigen A-Alpha Bio Specifica 

November 12, 2024 | In this episode of The Chain, host Rakesh Dixit, PhD, DABT, president and founder of Bionavigen Oncology and Regio Biosciences, speaks with Anthony Tolcher, M.D., FRCPC, cofounder of NEXT Oncology, about antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) including the role of the bystander effect, approaching targets in oncology, dual-payload technologies, the potency of new payloads, and bispecific targeting. Tolcher also shares what inspired him to pursue oncology, how he came across ADCs, and where he sees ADCs heading in the future.        LINKS:    Bionavigen NEXT Oncology 

October 15, 2024 | In this month’s episode of The Chain, host Rakesh Dixit, PhD, DABT, president and founder of Bionavigen Oncology and Regio Biosciences, and John Lambert, PhD, consultant, about antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) then, now, and beyond. Lambert shares his experiences from his decades-long career at ImmunoGen, why ADCs are more successful now compared to in the past, and where he sees ADCs going forward. He also discusses his thoughts on the half-life of diffusible payloads, the toxicity of the bystander effect, and more.  LINKS:BionavigenImmunoGen 

September 10, 2024 | In this episode of The Chain, host Nimish Gera speaks with Tariq Ghayur, of Tariq Ghayur Consulting, LLC and Entrepreneur in Residence, FairJourney Biologics (and a fellow host of the podcast), about the current renaissance of bispecifics and ADCs, the impact of AI in pharmaceuticals, and what to watch out for in the biopharma space in the next few years. Ghayur also shares his journey from BASF Pharma to AbbVie, what it was like when the industry shifted its focus from small molecules to biologics, and the major differences between doing a postdoc in academia versus in the industry. 

In this episode of The Chain, host Nimish Gera, Ph.D., vice president of biologics at Mythic Therapeutics, speaks with Peyton Greenside, CSO and co-founder of BigHat Biosciences, about the role of AI and machine learning in antibody engineering and targeting complex modalities, including bispecifics and ADCs. Greenside also discusses the work her organization does, what BigHat is doing to ensure the quality of data to train their AI models with, the methods of approaching harder targets such as GPCRs, and certain properties that AI can optimize better. 

In this episode of The Chain, host Brandon DeKosky, associate professor at MIT, speaks with Andrew Kruse, PhD, professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard University, about protein signaling and structural biology. Kruse explains what exactly bias signaling is and discusses the problems he and his team are working to resolve, as well as the tools they use to work out the dynamics of structures. He also shares the findings in signaling receptors and biology that he’s most excited about, recent advancements that have caught his attention, and the new directions for him and his lab.  

Industry experts discuss AI and ML in antibody discovery. They debate benchmarking methods, challenges in protein design, and advancements in AI tools. The panel emphasizes data-driven approaches, reproducibility of algorithms, and innovations in ADA data analysis. Overall, they highlight the potential of AI/ML in optimizing antibody discovery and engineering.

In this episode of The Chain, host Tariq Ghayur, PhD, consultant and entrepreneur in residence, FairJourney Biologics, speaks with Tomoyuki Igawa, PhD, chief executive officer, Chugai Pharmabody Research in Singapore, about his 20+ years of experience in drug discovery and development. Igawa possesses a unique perspective that has allowed him and his team to develop innovative concepts, such as recycling sweeping antibodies and bispecific platforms. He discusses how the discovery and development organizations work together to provide a steady supply of products, how he builds the right team when starting a new project, and how to keep team members engaged and motivated. He also offers advice for young scientists on the importance of enjoying their work and how to maintain work-life balance.