Academic Drug Discovery TIG at SLAS2025 - Theranostic Antibody Discovery and Development in Academia

Antibody Drugs have made a rapid evolution from a niche pharmaceutical to mainstream treatment modality within the last decade. In 2023, over 20% of all new drugs were antibody based. Antibodies have some specific advantage and challenges: Antibody drug discovery and development is relatively approachable within an academic environment as the methods and tools are at this point well known and understood. The overall time to market is significantly shorter than the traditional small molecule development cycle. Of particular interest is the ability to label antibodies with radio-isotopes which enables the utilization of antibodies as diagnostic as well as treatment (theranostic) by switching between different radio-isotope without affecting DMPK properties. This also enables patient stratification and assessment of treatment success, both of which are cornerstones of a precision-medicine approach that is quickly changing the face of medicine in general and oncology in particular. In this Academic Drug Discovery TIG, we have the particular pleasure of hosting Dr. David Ulmert from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the key inventor of the theranostic Antibody DUNP19, which obtained FDA Orphan Drug Status for Osteosarcoma. DUNP19 targets LRRC15 on the surface of stroma and cancer cells, that are found in highly aggressive tumors. TGFβ govern LRRC15+ CAFs, which has been shown to drive anti-tumor immunity. Dr. Ulmert will share with us his discovery journey leading to DUNP19 and we will discuss the ins and out of academic drug discovery pertaining to theranostic antibody agents, interfacing with industry and translation of theranostic antibody drugs within academia.