Effective antibody drug discovery against difficult targets
Year
2022
Project team
Brandon DeKosky with Matias Gutierrez
40%
of all drugs work through GPCRs
<2%
of antibodies target GPCRs
Discovery
is difficult with current approaches
Expanding protein targets
Antibodies are used broadly to treat diseases ranging from viral infections to cancer. However, the complexity and cost of the antibody discovery process leaves key membrane protein targets — such as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels and transporters — largely untouched. Although 40 percent of antibodies work through GPCRs, less than 2 percent of approved antibody drugs target those receptors. This project is developing a platform for more efficient antibody discovery against both viruses and membrane protein targets. The technology could open up new membrane protein targets and enable first-in-class precision medicines.