Kewaunee Lecture: Discovery, Preclinical and Clinical Development of Therapeutic for Cancer Treatment

Title: : Discovery, Preclinical and Clinical Development of Therapeutic for Cancer Treatment

Abstract: A main focus of our laboratory is centered on the engineering of therapeutic enzymes and antibodies. We have pioneered the engineering of human therapeutic enzymes capable of degrading specific amino acids related to disease pathology, studies that had led to one protein therapeutic that is currently being evaluated in 3 Phase I clinical trials and two preclinical stage therapeutics that will enter human trials in 2018. In one notable example, which will be discussed in some detail we have created a human enzyme that effectively degrades Kynurenine, a tryptophan oxidation product that has very potent immune-suppressive effects. We have shown that administration of this engineered enzyme activates the immune system, and specifically T cells, to attack and eradicate tumors in animal models of breast cancer, melanoma and colon carcinoma. As part of this talk I will also discuss our program on the development of improved therapeutic antibodies that have been engineered for enhanced killing of target pathogenic cells and other properties that are critical for the pharmacology of antibody drugs.