Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s 9th Annual

Antibodies Against Membrane Protein Targets

Part 1:

September 28-29, 2021

Part 2:

September 29-30, 2021

As the pharmaceutical and biotech industries increasingly shift attention to biologics, much more attention is being paid to the prospect of developing biotherapeutics against membrane-bound targets. For the large GPCR and ion channel target classes, biologics offer improved selectivity, an alternative for targets with known function that have not been amenable to small molecule drugs and the potential for using antibodies for the targeted delivery of therapeutics. However, for the field to advance, fundamental challenges in antigen quality and presentation, discovery methodologies, protein engineering and the pace of discovery must be resolved. This two-part meeting provides a forum in which discovery biologists and protein engineers can come together to discuss next generation strategies and technologies that will allow biologic drugs for these target families to advance into the clinic and beyond.

Coverage will include, but is not limited to:

Novel Biotherapeutic Formats for Targeting Membrane Proteins

• Emerging scaffold formats
• Format selection considerations: therapeutic area, targeted delivery, improved specificity
• Strategies for nanobodies targeting membrane proteins

   

  New Methods to Improve Specificity

• Spatial single-cell transcriptomic screening
• Targeting GPCR paratope states
• Targeting receptor complexes

   

  Functional Screening of Antibodies to Membrane Protein Targets

• Assays for conformational selectivity
• High (or higher) throughput functional assays for antibody discovery
• Integrating luminescence-based functional assays with fluorescence-based screening methods

   

  Antigen Design, Expression and Stabilization

• Build or buy considerations
• Emerging technologies
• Evaluation criteria for new membrane mimetics (applicability, robustness, impact on cycle times, viability against challenging targets)

   

  GPCR Targets

• Case studies of preclinical and clinical stage therapeutics
• Cryo-EM studies of MP structures, signaling mechanisms, interactions with antibodies
• GPCR agonism

   

  Ion Channel and Transporter Targets

• Case studies of preclinical and clinical stage therapeutics
• Goals and challenges of ion channel biotherapeutics
• Progress in targeting solute carrier transporters (SLC)

   

  Other Membrane Protein Targets

• ACE2 and angiotensin system
• Blood-brain barrier
• MHC class II peptides

If you would like to submit a proposal to give a presentation at this meeting, please click here.

The deadline for priority consideration is March 29, 2021.

All proposals are subject to review by session chairpersons and/or the Scientific Advisory Committee to ensure the overall quality of the conference program. Additionally, as per Cambridge Healthtech Institute policy, a select number of vendors and consultants who provide products and services will be offered opportunities for podium presentation slots based on a variety of Corporate Sponsorships.

For more details on the conference, please contact:

Kent Simmons

Senior Conference Director

Cambridge Healthtech Institute

Phone: (+1) 207-329-2964

Email: ksimmons@healthtech.com

For partnering and sponsorship information, please contact:

Rod Eymael

Manager, Business Development

Cambridge Healthtech Institute

Phone: (+1) 781-247-6286

Email: reymael@healthtech.com

Please click here to continue to the agenda for Antibodies Against Membrane Protein Targets - Part 2