BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product R&D

Agonistic families

How different modalities are being used to target TNF receptors and ligands

July 14, 2016 7:00 AM UTC

TNF superfamily receptors and their ligands have long been recognized as clinically relevant therapeutic targets for cancer, and dozens of companies are using different therapeutic modalities to target the proteins. Apogenix AG is one of the latest companies to join the race, with a platform for designing fusion protein agonists of the receptors.

The company is using its Hexavalent TNF Superfamily Receptor Agonist (HERA) system to develop compounds that capture the natural conformation of the ligands and their receptors, which is intended to create more potent and safe receptor activation than the more common agonist antibodies (see Cover Story)...