SC9: Targeting of GPCRs with Monoclonal Antibodies
Monday, September 19, 2016 3:30 - 6:30 pm

While GPCRs (G protein-coupled receptors) are important therapeutic targets, it has been challenging to discover therapeutically relevant antibodies against them. This course will examine different steps along the anti-GPCR antibody discovery pathway and highlight various approaches to accomplishing each step. The topics to be covered include: 1) antibody discovery, including methods to generate antibodies and antigen preparation; 2) assays to measure antibody binding, such as an EC50 using cells expressing the GPCR; 3) in vitro assays to measure functional activity of the antibody, including antagonism (IC50) or agonism using chemotaxis, calcium, cAMP or other cell-based assays; and 4) review of promising GPCR targets and antibodies in the clinic.

The material to be presented in this short course includes:

• Brief review of GPCR’s, including structure, mechanism and role in diseases such as cancer, inflammation and metabolic disease
• Methods for antibody discovery
• In vitro assays for antibody characterization
• Review of relevant kinetics, including agonism, antagonism and allosteric modulation
• Review of GPCR-targeting antibodies in the clinic
• Open discussion

Instructor:

Barbara Swanson, Ph.D., Director, Research, Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

Barbara Swanson, Ph.D. is a Director of Research at Sorrento Therapeutics, where she leads the programs to discover therapeutic antibodies against GPCRs and to optimize therapeutic antibodies. In previous industrial positions she discovered antibodies against membrane-bound proteins including GPCR’s. Using protein engineering techniques she has improved industrial enzymes, peptides and therapeutic antibodies, with several of her optimized antibodies in clinical trials. Dr. Swanson received her B.S. in Chemistry from MIT and her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California at San Francisco.