Drug-like Antibodies By Design and Directed Evolution (Invited Speaker)

The biotech industry has seen an explosion in the development of therapeutic antibodies in the last decade, and today most of the best-selling drugs are monoclonal antibodies. The advantages of antibodies as therapeutics – namely their high affinity, specificity, potency, stability, manufacturability and low toxicity – are compelling. Nevertheless, there are many fundamental challenges associated with antibody discovery and development that require key technical advances in order to improve the rational generation of potent antibody therapeutics. I will discuss our progress in addressing some of these challenges, including the design, evolution, selection and characterization of drug-like antibodies with high affinity, specificity, stability and solubility.