BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product R&D

Apogenix's hex on TNF

How Apogenix is using fusion proteins to tackle immuno-oncology targets

July 14, 2016 7:00 AM UTC

TNF receptor superfamily members include well-validated cancer and immuno-oncology drug targets, but creating high-potency agonists is made difficult by the molecules' unique mode of ligand binding. Apogenix AG is designing compounds that more closely mimic the natural TNF receptor-ligand interaction than traditional agonist antibodies, using a new technology platform that builds on the company's core fusion protein technology.

According to David Richards, head of immunology at Apogenix, designing a ligand that fits into a TNF receptor's binding pocket isn't enough to properly activate the receptor. "These are more complicated than other ligand-receptor pairs because the receptors, although they exist as single proteins, need to form trimers to initiate good downstream signaling," he said. ...