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ARTICLE | Emerging Company Profile

Leveraging cross-linking

How Lyvgen is leveraging FCGR2B to enhance tumor selectivity of its cancer mAbs

September 7, 2018 6:46 PM UTC

Lyvgen Biopharma Co. Ltd. is using its xLinkAb platform to develop mAbs that agonize T cell or dendritic cell co-stimulatory receptors with better safety and selectivity for tumors than competing mAbs.

According to founder and CEO Jieyi Wang, mAbs in clinical development that agonize co-stimulatory molecules, such as CD40 and TNF receptor superfamily member 9 (4-1BB; TNFRSF9; CD137), were primarily discovered by screening for strong agonism of the co-stimulatory receptors but not screened for specific activity in the tumor environment. Consequently, those mAbs have narrow therapeutic windows and toxicity issues, including liver toxicity and cytokine storm syndrome, due in part to lack of tumor selectivity...