Biologics articles from across Nature Portfolio

Diverse ultra-long CDRs can be swapped on the same antibody scaffold with minimal impact on scaffold structure and stability.

This work compares the preclinical lung biodistribution and efficacy profile of inhaled anti-CCN2 (cellular communication network factor 2) Anticalin® protein PRS-220 for the treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) compared to systemic delivery of a CCN2 inhibitor.

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting HER2 but paradoxically efficient even in breast cancers expressing HER2 at very low levels. Here authors show that invasive breast cancers, even if their HER2 expression is negligible, secrete extracellular proteases, such as cathepsin L, which cleave the specialized linker of T-DXd, releasing the drug in the tumour microenvironment, while in HER2 positive breast cancers, T-DXd engages Fcγ receptors to promote phagocytosis of HER2-expressing cells and triggers payload-induced immunogenic cell death.

Single domain antibodies block tau entry into neurons, a key step in tau propagation in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease. They prevent tau from binding to surface receptors by competition. The most effective, VHH H3-2, has a unique binding mode to tau.

Biopharmaceutical manufacturing innovation is essential for making monoclonal antibodies affordable and accessible by overcoming critical cost and supply barriers. Importantly, innovation supporting regional production will be required to meet low- and middle-income country health needs and strengthen global resilience against future infectious disease outbreaks.

There has been a rapid growth in patents related to TROP2, a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in calcium signal transduction and an attractive target for cancer therapy.

Targeting metabolic dependencies, such as glucose or lipid metabolism, is a key strategy for anti-cancer therapies. Nguyen et al. developed a new approach, adipose manipulation transplantation (AMT), in which engineered adipocytes are used to outcompete tumours for lipids and glucose to suppress cancer progression.

Traditional antibody–toxin conjugates (ATCs) are designed to target and destroy cancer cells. We present an ATC that acts on innate immune cells to promote tumor-cell phagocytosis and facilitate the translocation of tumor-derived antigens from phagolysosomes into the cytosol, where antigen cross-presentation and immune activation occur.