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Meeting ID: 925 7752 0440
Passcode: 386003

Protein therapeutics have proven to be a disruptive technology that is transforming modern medicine at a breakneck pace. These macromolecular drugs are, in effect, nanoscale machines with unparalleled capacity to interface with and selectively modulate biological systems. Proteins’ exquisite functionalities, combined with their inherently designable nature, have positioned them as premier scaffolds for drug development. However, their biological origins also impart unique risks for therapeutic applications. For example, the human immune system is a highly honed pattern recognition and defense network that can inadvertently target protein drugs, and ensuing antidrug immune responses can result in complications such as drug neutralization, deposition of toxic immune complexes, and allergic reactions ranging from mild irritation to life-threatening anaphylaxis. 

This talk will present the collaborative development of molecular engineering technologies designed to render protein therapies invisible to the human immune system. These “Stealth Biologics®” offer the promise of improved safety profiles and enhanced therapeutic efficacy. As a case study, we examine lysostaphin, a powerful bactericidal enzyme that represents a next-generation therapy for multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. By precision re-engineering of molecular patterns surveilled by the human immune system, we have created a “deimmunized” lysostaphin that evades the antidrug immune response and can be safely re-dosed to cure recurrent and treatment-refractory infections in preclinical models.