Invetx Discovery Platform

Antibody Discovery
The Invetx mAb discovery platform uses two complementary strategies, an in vivo immunization and microfluidics screening approach and an in vitro display method for the generation of diverse, functional antibodies against disease targets.

In vivo approach – Invetx’s partner AbCellera uses patented nanoliter volume microfluidics to conduct deep screening of B cells and plasma cells from immunized animals, enabling identification of antibodies against even the most difficult targets such as GPCRs. The screening assays can be customized including screens against multiple proteins simultaneously and functional assays. The identified antibodies have a high affinity and exhibit robust developability characteristics.

In-vitro approach – Invetx has partnered with Twist Bioscience, to develop fully canine and feline antibody phage display libraries. The phage-derived antibodies contain the frameworks and CDRs present in the natural canine and feline antibody repertoires, which reduces the likelihood of producing anti-drug antibodies in the clinic. Phage display discovery enables rapid identification of antibodies against targets and can be tailored to enrich for functional antibody activities such as blocking ligand-receptor interactions.

Screening
Antibodies from the initial screens are rapidly sequenced and the genes are synthesized followed by antibody expression and purification. The antibodies are thoroughly analyzed and characterized in terms of affinity and specificity, functional activity and developability, in order to select candidates with the best properties.

Optimization
For optimizing antibody hits, Twist’s next-generation silicon DNA synthesis technology is used in combination with large canine and feline NGS data sets to generate precise, fully canine or feline phage optimization libraries. These libraries are screened for improved affinity and developability, generating optimized lead antibody candidates. Initial leads generated in other animals, e.g. rodents, can be grafted into the closest related canine or feline frameworks and further optimized.

Half-life Extension
Invetx conducted extensive protein engineering on both the feline and canine Fc to develop variants that have an increased affinity to the neonatal crystallizable fragment receptor (FcRn) at a low pH, so that they bind to FcRn and recycle back into the blood stream. Pharmacokinetic studies have demonstrated that the engineered canine and feline IgGs have a significantly extended half-life. Half-life extended therapeutics require a lower dose and/or provide prolonged duration of activity.

Lead Candidate Selection
Throughout the discovery and optimization process, the extensive natural reservoir of canine or feline mAbs is screened and antibodies are generated to deliver fully species-specific candidates with optimal characteristics. This facilitates rapid development of drug candidates with an optimal product profile.

Invetx Next-Generation Veterinary Therapeutics
The Invetx mAb platform is tailored to deliver next-generation veterinary antibodies — long-lasting, effective, safe and affordable biotherapeutics to extend and improve our pets’ quality of life.