Emerging trends in bispecific antibody and scaffold protein therapeutics

Bispecific antibody and protein therapeutics have a long scientific history. In the last few years there has been a renaissance in their design and application. Clinical trial data with both monoclonal antibodies and bispecifics is beginning to provide feedback regarding the most opportunistic areas for bispecifics and the hurdles many of them may face. Bispecific molecules that utilize IgG-fragments or novel scaffolds to bind two antigens or two epitopes on the same antigen are demonstrating their unique strengths as therapeutics and diagnostics, such as in blood-brain-barrier penetration, in the immune synapse and as cancer imaging agents. A push toward bispecifics that have a native IgG architecture has also been widespread over the past few years with the goal of capturing the clinically validated therapeutic properties of standard monoclonal antibodies. Lastly, as the biological mechanisms of diseases become further elucidated, utilizing bispecifics or perhaps tri/tetraspecifics may enable improved therapeutic outcomes.