The Chain: Protein Engineering Podcast

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.