Unlocking the potential of bispecific antibodies as targeted therapeutics

Bispecific antibodies are engineered to bind to two different epitopes, or antigens, (the part of the target that the antibody attaches to) at the same time. This dual action principle makes bispecific antibodies an interesting approach to improving target specificity by binding two antigens on the same cell.¹

We are exploring the potential of bispecific antibodies to overcome challenges associated with co-administration of drugs, such as dose-limiting toxicities and drug-drug interactions, by circumventing the need to deliver two separate therapies.

We seek to unlock bispecific antibodies’ full potential as targeted therapeutics. One area of emerging significance is the potential value of bispecific antibodies in the treatment of refractory or resistant forms of cancer, a growing challenge in cancer. This includes cancers with evolved resistance to blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint axis.² Drawing on our long history of protein engineering, we are designing bispecific antibodies that simultaneously target different immune checkpoints, as part of our efforts to harness the immune system against cancer.

Learn more about how bispecific antibodies can help our immune system potentially defeat cancer in this video:

We are at the forefront of developing innovative platforms for constructing bispecific antibodies that fulfil stringent purity and stability criteria. These platforms give us greater flexibility to design many possible combinations of antibodies, proteins and small molecules with desired characteristics. This assembly kit approach to drug design grants our scientists promising prospects for novel biopharmaceuticals.