[Immuno-Oncology Summit 2021] Novel, Improved Cell-Based Assays to Enable Immunotherapy Drug Development for Checkpoint Receptors
- File Name/Number:
- Immuno-Oncology Summit 2021
- Year:
- 2021
Regulation of immune responses is tightly controlled through a balance of co-stimulatory and inhibitory checkpoint receptors, often exploited by many cancers. Therefore, therapeutics that block inhibitory receptors or activate immuno-stimulatory checkpoint receptors have proved to be powerful agents to restore anti-tumor immune responses. However, developing drugs targeting these checkpoint proteins has proved to be quite challenging, as cell-based assays used to screen for functional drugs are often difficult to create, involve the use of human primary
cells, and have long, complicated protocols. Here, we present data for the new PathHunter® Checkpoint assays that target clinically relevant co-inhibitory and co-stimulatory checkpoint receptors and measure receptor activation and signaling, using the industry-validated Enzyme Fragment Complementation (EFC) technology. These assays facilitate the development of relevant therapeutics, enabling rapid and sensitive screening of biologics and small molecules.
Furthermore, the robustness and reproducibility of these assays lend themselves well for use in characterization, relative potency, and QC lot release testing of immunotherapy drugs. These mechanism of action-based, cell-based assays do not require human primary cells, and provide a highly sensitive response, with an easy-to- use protocol that delivers results in a day. In this poster, we present data for bioassays targeting PD-1, and the emerging IO target: SIRPα/CD47 signaling axis.