AAX Biotech will leverage its Seqitope platform and automation infrastructure to characterize novel anti-TROP2 antibodies developed by the Tran group and elucidate the molecular features that differentiate them from established TROP2 binders.

TROP2 (Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2) is a clinically validated cancer target, yet characterizing therapies directed against it remains notoriously difficult. Its complex structure and tendency to pair on the cell surface make it challenging to determine exactly how antibodies engage TROP2. This insight is critical to identifying candidates with therapeutic potential, describes the company

The Tran group has generated anti-TROP2 antibodies with unique properties and improved profiles relative to existing TROP2 binders. Under the collaboration, AAX Biotech will apply Seqitope to map the antibodies’ epitopes at high resolution and characterize them alongside benchmark molecules, providing molecular-level insight into the properties that differentiate them from established TROP2 binders.

“Seqitope allows us to compare large panels of antibodies in parallel and characterize their molecular binding profiles at high resolution,” says Daniel X Johansson, CEO and CSO of AAX Biotech. “By analyzing multiple TROP2 binders side by side, we hope to better understand the molecular characteristics associated with different therapeutic properties.”

“Our group has generated anti-TROP2 antibodies with unique properties and qualities that, in our hands, exceed those of existing TROP2 binders. Through this collaboration with AAX Biotech, Seqitope will allow us to elucidate at the molecular level what sets our antibodies apart, an insight that is essential as we advance them towards therapeutic application,” says Thuy Tran, research group leader at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet.