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