Tumor-associated enzymes can diminish or even negate the immune system’s ability to fight off cancerous cells by making subtle but damaging structural changes to anti-cancer antibodies.
Listen in as Dr. Zhiqiang An, of the University of Texas Health Science Center, discusses how his lab developed a set of novel antibodies to visualize these changes that has now led to a new therapeutic strategy to combat tumor evasion.
Meet Our Presenter
Dr. Zhiqiang An is Professor of Molecular Medicine, the Robert A. Welch Distinguished University Chair in Chemistry, and Director of the Texas Therapeutics Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
His laboratory focuses on cancer antibody drug resistance mechanisms, biomarkers for cancer therapeutic antibodies, and antibody drug discovery targeting cancer and infectious diseases. He also directs the Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibody Lead Optimization and Development Core Facility funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
Previously, Dr. An served as Chief Scientific Officer at Epitomics, Inc. and was Director of Biologics Research at Merck Research Laboratories. He is a fellow of Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.
Dr. An is well published in the field of antibody drug discovery including the award-winning book “Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies: from Bench to Clinic”. He started his biotech career at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Kentucky and his postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Webinar Topics
- A minor proteolytic cleavage at IgG hinge greatly impairs the effector functions of anticancer antibodies
- Proteolytic hinge cleavage of IgGs as a mechanism of tumor evasion of antibody-based immunity
- The potential of “rescue” of lost IgG Fc function as a novel therapeutic strategy for cancer