Home > Resources > Articles > ADC Trigger Selective Cancer Cell Death

ADC Trigger Selective Cancer Cell Death

June 17, 2019 | 45 views

Chemotherapy has been used to treat cancer for almost 80 years now[1] and its side effects are well known and documented. One of the main limitations associated with standard chemotherapy is the unspecific killing of healthy cells (e.g. rapidly dividing cells in the bone marrow) which is associated with high-dose requirement and low therapeutic indices. In order to significantly reduce systemic side effects, it is fundamental to develop a new generation of anticancer drugs, specifically targeting cancer cells and therefore better tolerated by patients. One approach relies on the use of monoclonal antibodies, the so-called “magic bullets” envisioned by Paul Ehrlich more than 100 years ago[2]. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) belong to the broad class of biological drugs, or biologics (i.e. products derived from living organisms). MAbs have fueled research in many scientific fields with four dedicated Nobel prize winners in 2018 (https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel-prizes-2018/) and can be considered today a strong clinical reality with over 80 pharmaceuticals already on the market in indications not limited to oncology[3].

Spotlight

Forty Seven, Inc.

With a passion for pioneering breakthrough solutions, we are committed to the advancement of immuno-oncology through the engagement of new and complementary phagocytic pathways that enhance anti-tumor efficacy and selectivity.

OTHER ARTICLES
MEDTECH

Top 10 biotech IPOs in 2019

Article | October 7, 2022

The big question at the start of 2019 was whether the IPO window would stay open for biotech companies, particularly those seeking to pull off ever-larger IPOs at increasingly earlier stages of development. The short answer is yes—kind of. Here’s the long answer: In the words of Renaissance Capital, the IPO market had “a mostly good year.” The total number of deals fell to 159 from 192 the year before, but technology and healthcare companies were standout performers. The latter—which include biotech, medtech and diagnostics companies—led the pack, making up 43% of all IPOs in 2019. By Renaissance’s count, seven companies went public at valuations exceeding $1 billion, up from five the year before

Read More
MEDTECH

Cell Out? Lysate-Based Expression an Option for Personalized Meds

Article | July 20, 2022

Cell-free expression (CFE) is the practice of making a protein without using a living cell. In contrast with cell line-based methods, production is achieved using a fluid containing biological components extracted from a cell, i.e., a lysate. CFE offers potential advantages for biopharma according to Philip Probert, PhD, a senior scientist at the Centre for Process Innovation in the U.K.

Read More
MEDICAL

Closing bacterial genomes from the human gut microbiome using long-read sequencing

Article | August 16, 2022

In our lab, we focus on the impact of the gut microbiome on human health and disease. To evaluate this relationship, it’s important to understand the particular functions that different bacteria have. As bacteria are able to exchange, duplicate, and rearrange their genes in ways that directly affect their phenotypes, complete bacterial genomes assembled directly from human samples are essential to understand the strain variation and potential functions of the bacteria we host. Advances in the microbiome space have allowed for the de novo assembly of microbial genomes directly from metagenomes via short-read sequencing, assembly of reads into contigs, and binning of contigs into putative genome drafts. This is advantageous because it allows us to discover microbes without culturing them, directly from human samples and without reference databases. In the past year, there have been a number of tour de force efforts to broadly characterize the human gut microbiota through the creation of such metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs)[1–4]. These works have produced hundreds of thousands of microbial genomes that vastly increase our understanding of the human gut. However, challenges in the assembly of short reads has limited our ability to correctly assemble repeated genomic elements and place them into genomic context. Thus, existing MAGs are often fragmented and do not include mobile genetic elements, 16S rRNA sequences, and other elements that are repeated or have high identity within and across bacterial genomes.

Read More

Selexis Cell Line Development Strategies

Article | February 11, 2020

In today’s biotechnology landscape, to be competitive, meet regulations, and achieve market demands, “we must apply Bioprocessing 4.0,” said Igor Fisch, PhD, CEO, Selexis. In fact, in the last decade, “Selexis has evolved from cloning by limiting dilution to automated cell selection to nanofluidic chips and from monoclonality assessment by statistical calculation to proprietary bioinformatic analysis,” he added. Single-use processing systems are an expanding part of the biomanufacturing world; as such, they are a major component of Bioprocessing 4.0. “At Selexis, we use single use throughout our cell line development workflow. Currently, we have incorporated single-use automated bioprocessing systems such as ambr® and the Beacon® optofluidic platform for accelerated cell line development. By using these systems and optimizing our parameters, we were able to achieve high titers in shake flasks. Additionally, the Beacon systems integrate miniaturized cell culture with high-throughput liquid handling automation and cell imaging. This allows us to control, adjust, and monitor programs at the same time,” noted Fisch.

Read More
MEDTECH

How to Choose a Reliable Biotech Clinical Trial Management System?

Article | October 7, 2022

The big question at the start of 2019 was whether the IPO window would stay open for biotech companies, particularly those seeking to pull off ever-larger IPOs at increasingly earlier stages of development. The short answer is yes—kind of. Here’s the long answer: In the words of Renaissance Capital, the IPO market had “a mostly good year.” The total number of deals fell to 159 from 192 the year before, but technology and healthcare companies were standout performers. The latter—which include biotech, medtech and diagnostics companies—led the pack, making up 43% of all IPOs in 2019. By Renaissance’s count, seven companies went public at valuations exceeding $1 billion, up from five the year before

Read More
MEDTECH

Data Analytics: A Groundbreaking Technology in Biotech

Article | July 20, 2022

Cell-free expression (CFE) is the practice of making a protein without using a living cell. In contrast with cell line-based methods, production is achieved using a fluid containing biological components extracted from a cell, i.e., a lysate. CFE offers potential advantages for biopharma according to Philip Probert, PhD, a senior scientist at the Centre for Process Innovation in the U.K.

Read More
MEDICAL

Laboratory Information Management System for Biotech Labs: Significance & Benefits

Article | August 16, 2022

In our lab, we focus on the impact of the gut microbiome on human health and disease. To evaluate this relationship, it’s important to understand the particular functions that different bacteria have. As bacteria are able to exchange, duplicate, and rearrange their genes in ways that directly affect their phenotypes, complete bacterial genomes assembled directly from human samples are essential to understand the strain variation and potential functions of the bacteria we host. Advances in the microbiome space have allowed for the de novo assembly of microbial genomes directly from metagenomes via short-read sequencing, assembly of reads into contigs, and binning of contigs into putative genome drafts. This is advantageous because it allows us to discover microbes without culturing them, directly from human samples and without reference databases. In the past year, there have been a number of tour de force efforts to broadly characterize the human gut microbiota through the creation of such metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs)[1–4]. These works have produced hundreds of thousands of microbial genomes that vastly increase our understanding of the human gut. However, challenges in the assembly of short reads has limited our ability to correctly assemble repeated genomic elements and place them into genomic context. Thus, existing MAGs are often fragmented and do not include mobile genetic elements, 16S rRNA sequences, and other elements that are repeated or have high identity within and across bacterial genomes.

Read More

Selexis Cell Line Development Strategies

Article | February 11, 2020

In today’s biotechnology landscape, to be competitive, meet regulations, and achieve market demands, “we must apply Bioprocessing 4.0,” said Igor Fisch, PhD, CEO, Selexis. In fact, in the last decade, “Selexis has evolved from cloning by limiting dilution to automated cell selection to nanofluidic chips and from monoclonality assessment by statistical calculation to proprietary bioinformatic analysis,” he added. Single-use processing systems are an expanding part of the biomanufacturing world; as such, they are a major component of Bioprocessing 4.0. “At Selexis, we use single use throughout our cell line development workflow. Currently, we have incorporated single-use automated bioprocessing systems such as ambr® and the Beacon® optofluidic platform for accelerated cell line development. By using these systems and optimizing our parameters, we were able to achieve high titers in shake flasks. Additionally, the Beacon systems integrate miniaturized cell culture with high-throughput liquid handling automation and cell imaging. This allows us to control, adjust, and monitor programs at the same time,” noted Fisch.

Read More
MORE ARTICLES

Spotlight

Forty Seven, Inc.

With a passion for pioneering breakthrough solutions, we are committed to the advancement of immuno-oncology through the engagement of new and complementary phagocytic pathways that enhance anti-tumor efficacy and selectivity.

Related News

INDUSTRIAL IMPACT

iNtRON Confirms Efficacy of CDL200 Against CDI Clinical Isolates

iNtRON Biotechnology | July 12, 2022

iNtRON Biotechnology announced that CDL200, a novel biological drug candidate under the development of the world's first enteric colon-targeted capsule formulation for the treatment of intractable and recurrent CDI confirmed the strong efficacy against clinical isolates from CDI patients. A company official explained that the antibacterial activity of CDL200 was evaluated for 20 clinical isolates from patients in Europe and Korea, and rapid lysis effect within few minutes after treatment was confirmed from all of the tested strains. In particular, even though majority of the tested strains are resistant strains to the commonly used antibiotics such as Metronidazole, Vancomycin, and Rifaximin, CDL200 showed very potent and rapid bactericidal activity. CDL200 is an endolysin-based novel biological drug candidate for the treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection, a hard-to-treat and recurrent bowel diseases. CDL200 has innovative drug properties that can eradicate bacteria much faster than the conventional antibiotics in the market, and also can be used for the infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria and/or highly virulent bacteria. CDI patient population has been increasing globally and resulting in high mortality rate due to resistance to the existing antibiotics and serious complications such as toxic megacolon, sepsis, and intestinal perforation. Although there is growing interest in refractory CDI that does not respond well to primary treatment, there are only few studies on effective treatment yet. The more serious problem is the frequency of recurrent CDI is increasing, since the risk of subsequent recurrence is over 45% in patients who have had at least one recurrence. The conventional treatment based on Metronidazole and Vancomycin is not effective for CDI with severe intractability and repeating recurrence. And the recently attempted FMT (fecal microbiota transplantation), that is, the treatment of administering donor feces to the patient's intestinal tract, has advantages such as not suppressing the intestinal flora and not creating resistant strains, but the treatment brings objection to the general public and is limited in that there is a possibility that other pathogens from the donor may be transmitted. The mortality rate of CDI was about 3-4% in the past, but due to intensification of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the emergence of highly virulent strain (NAP1/027), the recent mortality rate has been rapidly increased to over 10%, which makes global awareness growing. Dr. KANG, Sang Hyeon, CTO of iNtRON, said, "We have a number of new endolysin pipelines under the development utilizing our unique itLysin® technology for the serious infection that the development of effective therapeutic agents are urgently needed." "Based on the development experience of SAL200, we will strive to enhance the value of our rich itLysin® pipelines and will continue to secure global competitiveness in the endolysin field." Mr. YOON, Kyung Won, CEO of iNtRON About CDL200 CDL200 is a novel endolysin-based anti- Clostridioides difficile causes an infection of the large intestine which is often referred to as C. difficile or C. diff. CDL200 showed potent and rapid activity against 100% clinical isolates from multi-nation and has no disturbance of the normal flora in human's gut. The potential clinical usage and indications are CDI and IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), and the targeted administration route of CDL200 is oral in capsule formulation. CDL200 is under non-clinical stage development and IND enabling studies will be conducted throughout the year. About iNtRON Biotechnology, Inc. iNtRON is a leader in bacteriophage-based technology with aim to develop and investigate into the 'Immune & Immunotherapeutics' market. While pursuing global research and business development investments since their foundation and accelerated development after entering its IPO in KOSDAQ, the company honed in on innovating BIO New Drugs by developing various 'First-in-Concept' bio-drugs and conducting clinical studies in phases. The Company is committed to development of innovative innovation in the infectious diseases and 'Immune & Immunotherapeutics' area. About iNtODEWORLD, Inc. iNtRON has established its wholly owned US subsidiary, iNtODEWORLD, Inc. in 2017. iNtODEWORLD was initially registered in Delaware and the headquarter office is currently located in Boston. iNtODEWORLD provides news, updates and platform development progresses of iNtRON to its potential global partners and collaborators along with its own R&BD works in the US.

Read More

CELL AND GENE THERAPY

iTolerance to Collborate with LyGenesis for Joint Research

iTolerance | July 01, 2022

iTolerance, Inc., an early-stage privately held regenerative medicine company developing technology to enable organoid, tissue, and cell therapy, announced entering into a joint collaboration with LyGenesis, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company with an organ regeneration technology platform. The joint collaboration is aimed at evaluating the potential of iTOL-201, a product candidate being developed combining LyGenesis' LYG-LIV-100 liver cell therapy and iTolerance's SA FasL microgel immune tolerance platform to permit the growth of ectopic livers without the requirement for immune suppression. The joint research effort of iTolerance and LyGenesis has produced in vitro data using iTOL-201 and is now moving toward small animal proof of concept work to assess the potential of the combined technology for producing ectopic livers capable of saving the animals from fatal liver disorders without the requirement for immune suppression. With our lead therapy now in the clinic in a Phase 2a trial in patients with End Stage Liver Disease, we have turned our attention toward a second-generation therapy capable of growing ectopic organs without the need for immune suppression. iTolerance's platform holds enormous promise in this respect and we look forward to the results from our joint proof of concept work." Dr. Michael Hufford, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LyGenesis. While long-term immunosuppression continues to be an obstacle for the use of cell and regenerative therapies, the research being conducted between both LyGenesis and iTolerance could allow for a major advancement in organ regeneration, As we advance our own pipeline of therapies focused on supporting pancreatic islet engraftments, I believe this synergistic collaborative research with LyGenesis has the potential to successfully combine technologies to drive significant value for both biotech companies and importantly, the patients we work to serve." Dr. Anthony Japour, Chief Executive Officer of iTolerance.

Read More

MEDICAL

Anitoa Launches Molecular Test (PCR) for Monkeypox

Anitoa | June 30, 2022

Anitoa Systems, market leader in fast, portable molecular testing, today announced the availability of a CE-marked turn-key PCR solution for testing Monkeypox. This portable solution includes one of a family small foot-print real time PCR instruments called the Maverick qPCR, with an extraction-free multiplex PCR reagent that tests OPXV/MPXV gene-targets in the skin lesion sample from patients suspected of infection with Monkeypox. Anitoa's Monkeypox test is designed to be carried out on-site, near patient, thus avoiding the need to transport patient samples to central labs for testing. The World Health Organization reported that over 2,100 people in 42 countries have been diagnosed with monkeypox as of June 15, nearly all during the past two months. As of June 17, the CDC reports 24 confirmed monkeypox cases in California, US. Although The CDC reports that the threat to the general U.S. population is considered low, it is important for healthcare providers worldwide to have a preparedness plan. Already having a presence in Africa, Anitoa Systems has started deloying its near-patient Monkeypox test in selected clinics in Africa. Anitoa is prepared to deliver its Monkeypox test solution world-wide when the need arises. Anitoa's Maverick line of multiplex real time PCR devices are lab-accurate, fast, portable and calibration-free. They can operate on battery power (including car battery) and takes up very little bench space. Maverick qPCR instruments are built on Anitoa's proprietary CMOS biosensor technology. They have been used widely for on-site testing of food, environment samples and agriculture products due to its rugged all solid-state design, small form factor, and lower operation cost. Anitoa's Monkeypox detection solution is part of an on-going program at Anitoa to develop tests to help combat a series of neglected tropical diseases in low resource settings. These tests currently include IVDR tests for Dengue, Yellow Fever, and Malaria We are closely monitoring the situation of Monkeypox infections around the world and tailoring our test solutions to the needs of the people affected." Zhimin ding, CEO of Anitoa Systems, LLC About Anitoa Anitoa Systems, a medical device technology start-up established in 2013 with headquarter in Sunnyvale, California, develops highly integrated and portable bio-sensor devices for molecular detection, based on its unique CMOS image sensor-based fluorescence and chemiluminescence molecular imaging. By replacing the traditional bulky and costly photon-multiplier tube (PMT) and CCD-based optical sub-systems, Anitoa's ultra-low-light CMOS sensor technology enables a new generation of compact and inexpensive molecular testing platforms targeting infectious, oncology and cardio-vascular markers. Anitoa manufactures its qPCR instruments and test kits in Hangzhou, China and Fremont, California.

Read More

INDUSTRIAL IMPACT

iNtRON Confirms Efficacy of CDL200 Against CDI Clinical Isolates

iNtRON Biotechnology | July 12, 2022

iNtRON Biotechnology announced that CDL200, a novel biological drug candidate under the development of the world's first enteric colon-targeted capsule formulation for the treatment of intractable and recurrent CDI confirmed the strong efficacy against clinical isolates from CDI patients. A company official explained that the antibacterial activity of CDL200 was evaluated for 20 clinical isolates from patients in Europe and Korea, and rapid lysis effect within few minutes after treatment was confirmed from all of the tested strains. In particular, even though majority of the tested strains are resistant strains to the commonly used antibiotics such as Metronidazole, Vancomycin, and Rifaximin, CDL200 showed very potent and rapid bactericidal activity. CDL200 is an endolysin-based novel biological drug candidate for the treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection, a hard-to-treat and recurrent bowel diseases. CDL200 has innovative drug properties that can eradicate bacteria much faster than the conventional antibiotics in the market, and also can be used for the infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria and/or highly virulent bacteria. CDI patient population has been increasing globally and resulting in high mortality rate due to resistance to the existing antibiotics and serious complications such as toxic megacolon, sepsis, and intestinal perforation. Although there is growing interest in refractory CDI that does not respond well to primary treatment, there are only few studies on effective treatment yet. The more serious problem is the frequency of recurrent CDI is increasing, since the risk of subsequent recurrence is over 45% in patients who have had at least one recurrence. The conventional treatment based on Metronidazole and Vancomycin is not effective for CDI with severe intractability and repeating recurrence. And the recently attempted FMT (fecal microbiota transplantation), that is, the treatment of administering donor feces to the patient's intestinal tract, has advantages such as not suppressing the intestinal flora and not creating resistant strains, but the treatment brings objection to the general public and is limited in that there is a possibility that other pathogens from the donor may be transmitted. The mortality rate of CDI was about 3-4% in the past, but due to intensification of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the emergence of highly virulent strain (NAP1/027), the recent mortality rate has been rapidly increased to over 10%, which makes global awareness growing. Dr. KANG, Sang Hyeon, CTO of iNtRON, said, "We have a number of new endolysin pipelines under the development utilizing our unique itLysin® technology for the serious infection that the development of effective therapeutic agents are urgently needed." "Based on the development experience of SAL200, we will strive to enhance the value of our rich itLysin® pipelines and will continue to secure global competitiveness in the endolysin field." Mr. YOON, Kyung Won, CEO of iNtRON About CDL200 CDL200 is a novel endolysin-based anti- Clostridioides difficile causes an infection of the large intestine which is often referred to as C. difficile or C. diff. CDL200 showed potent and rapid activity against 100% clinical isolates from multi-nation and has no disturbance of the normal flora in human's gut. The potential clinical usage and indications are CDI and IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), and the targeted administration route of CDL200 is oral in capsule formulation. CDL200 is under non-clinical stage development and IND enabling studies will be conducted throughout the year. About iNtRON Biotechnology, Inc. iNtRON is a leader in bacteriophage-based technology with aim to develop and investigate into the 'Immune & Immunotherapeutics' market. While pursuing global research and business development investments since their foundation and accelerated development after entering its IPO in KOSDAQ, the company honed in on innovating BIO New Drugs by developing various 'First-in-Concept' bio-drugs and conducting clinical studies in phases. The Company is committed to development of innovative innovation in the infectious diseases and 'Immune & Immunotherapeutics' area. About iNtODEWORLD, Inc. iNtRON has established its wholly owned US subsidiary, iNtODEWORLD, Inc. in 2017. iNtODEWORLD was initially registered in Delaware and the headquarter office is currently located in Boston. iNtODEWORLD provides news, updates and platform development progresses of iNtRON to its potential global partners and collaborators along with its own R&BD works in the US.

Read More

CELL AND GENE THERAPY

iTolerance to Collborate with LyGenesis for Joint Research

iTolerance | July 01, 2022

iTolerance, Inc., an early-stage privately held regenerative medicine company developing technology to enable organoid, tissue, and cell therapy, announced entering into a joint collaboration with LyGenesis, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company with an organ regeneration technology platform. The joint collaboration is aimed at evaluating the potential of iTOL-201, a product candidate being developed combining LyGenesis' LYG-LIV-100 liver cell therapy and iTolerance's SA FasL microgel immune tolerance platform to permit the growth of ectopic livers without the requirement for immune suppression. The joint research effort of iTolerance and LyGenesis has produced in vitro data using iTOL-201 and is now moving toward small animal proof of concept work to assess the potential of the combined technology for producing ectopic livers capable of saving the animals from fatal liver disorders without the requirement for immune suppression. With our lead therapy now in the clinic in a Phase 2a trial in patients with End Stage Liver Disease, we have turned our attention toward a second-generation therapy capable of growing ectopic organs without the need for immune suppression. iTolerance's platform holds enormous promise in this respect and we look forward to the results from our joint proof of concept work." Dr. Michael Hufford, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LyGenesis. While long-term immunosuppression continues to be an obstacle for the use of cell and regenerative therapies, the research being conducted between both LyGenesis and iTolerance could allow for a major advancement in organ regeneration, As we advance our own pipeline of therapies focused on supporting pancreatic islet engraftments, I believe this synergistic collaborative research with LyGenesis has the potential to successfully combine technologies to drive significant value for both biotech companies and importantly, the patients we work to serve." Dr. Anthony Japour, Chief Executive Officer of iTolerance.

Read More

MEDICAL

Anitoa Launches Molecular Test (PCR) for Monkeypox

Anitoa | June 30, 2022

Anitoa Systems, market leader in fast, portable molecular testing, today announced the availability of a CE-marked turn-key PCR solution for testing Monkeypox. This portable solution includes one of a family small foot-print real time PCR instruments called the Maverick qPCR, with an extraction-free multiplex PCR reagent that tests OPXV/MPXV gene-targets in the skin lesion sample from patients suspected of infection with Monkeypox. Anitoa's Monkeypox test is designed to be carried out on-site, near patient, thus avoiding the need to transport patient samples to central labs for testing. The World Health Organization reported that over 2,100 people in 42 countries have been diagnosed with monkeypox as of June 15, nearly all during the past two months. As of June 17, the CDC reports 24 confirmed monkeypox cases in California, US. Although The CDC reports that the threat to the general U.S. population is considered low, it is important for healthcare providers worldwide to have a preparedness plan. Already having a presence in Africa, Anitoa Systems has started deloying its near-patient Monkeypox test in selected clinics in Africa. Anitoa is prepared to deliver its Monkeypox test solution world-wide when the need arises. Anitoa's Maverick line of multiplex real time PCR devices are lab-accurate, fast, portable and calibration-free. They can operate on battery power (including car battery) and takes up very little bench space. Maverick qPCR instruments are built on Anitoa's proprietary CMOS biosensor technology. They have been used widely for on-site testing of food, environment samples and agriculture products due to its rugged all solid-state design, small form factor, and lower operation cost. Anitoa's Monkeypox detection solution is part of an on-going program at Anitoa to develop tests to help combat a series of neglected tropical diseases in low resource settings. These tests currently include IVDR tests for Dengue, Yellow Fever, and Malaria We are closely monitoring the situation of Monkeypox infections around the world and tailoring our test solutions to the needs of the people affected." Zhimin ding, CEO of Anitoa Systems, LLC About Anitoa Anitoa Systems, a medical device technology start-up established in 2013 with headquarter in Sunnyvale, California, develops highly integrated and portable bio-sensor devices for molecular detection, based on its unique CMOS image sensor-based fluorescence and chemiluminescence molecular imaging. By replacing the traditional bulky and costly photon-multiplier tube (PMT) and CCD-based optical sub-systems, Anitoa's ultra-low-light CMOS sensor technology enables a new generation of compact and inexpensive molecular testing platforms targeting infectious, oncology and cardio-vascular markers. Anitoa manufactures its qPCR instruments and test kits in Hangzhou, China and Fremont, California.

Read More

Events