Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s 2nd Annual

SYMPOSIUM: Engineering Multispecifics: Oncology and Beyond

Unlocking Multispecific Potential: Computation, Precision Targeting, & Smart Delivery

January 19, 2026 ALL TIMES PST

Cambridge Healthtech Institute's 2nd Annual Engineering Multispecifics: Oncology & Beyond Symposium spotlights three high-impact themes in therapeutic development. Here, innovators tackle tough targeting and delivery challenges, focusing on boosting tissue penetration, crossing the blood-brain barrier, fine-tuning affinity, and optimizing internalization. We'll also examine how researchers are leveraging computational tools and machine learning to accelerate the design and propel the field of multispecifics forward. Join us to advance the field of multispecifics through targeting, delivery, and computation.

Monday, January 19

8:00 amRegistration and Morning Coffee

TARGETING AND DELIVERY

8:50 am

Organizer's Opening Remarks

Nikki Cerniuk, Conference Producer, Cambridge Healthtech Institute

8:55 am

Chairperson's Opening Remarks

Fangzhu Zhao, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Dr. Jim Wells, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco

9:00 am

Antibody Technology for Enhanced Solid-Tumor Targeting

Jon Sitrin, PhD, Director & Head, Translational Biology, EpiBiologics

EpiTACs are bispecific antibodies in which one arm binds a pathogenic target, and the other arm leverages tissue-enriched degrading receptors to selectively degrade a wide range of extracellular targets including membrane, soluble, and multi-span proteins. Our modular and industrial process for creating EpiTACs allows us to optimize antibody properties to maximize degradation. EpiTACs to multiple oncology and autoimmune targets demonstrate that target degradation drives robust in vivo activity.

9:30 am

Exceptionally Broad HIV-1 Neutralization via Bispecific Antibody-Mediated Prepositioning

Soohyun Kim, PhD, Scientific Researcher, Biochemistry, Stanford

Antibodies targeting the conserved prehairpin intermediate (PHI) of class I viral fusion proteins are typically weakly neutralizing and not considered viable therapeutics. We enhanced the potency of an antibody targeting the transiently exposed gp41 N-heptad repeat (NHR) in HIV-1 PHI by engineering bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) that preposition it to the HIV-1 receptor or coreceptor. These bsAbs showed exceptionally broad neutralization. Despite sharing the same neutralizing arm, the bsAbs exhibited distinct resistance profiles. These findings validate the NHR as a therapeutic target and support the development of a new class of broadly neutralizing HIV-1 antibodies.

10:00 am

CNS Drug Delivery Using Bispecific Antibodies Targeting CD98hc and Transferrin Receptor

Peter M. Tessier, PhD, Albert M. Mattocks Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences & Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan

The inability of diverse biomolecules to readily penetrate the blood-brain barrier is a key limitation to their use in research, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications. We are developing bispecific antibodies that engage either CD98hc or transferrin receptor, and efficiently transport biomolecules into the CNS. We will discuss the unique advantages of each shuttling pathway, our progress in developing next-generation shuttles, and their drug-delivery applications.

10:30 am

From Prediction to Validation: An Industry-Standard Approach to TCR-Mimic Antibody Development

Joerg Birkenfeld, PhD, CSO, Biocopy AG

BioCopy’s ValidaTe platform is a pHLA-centric workflow for developing safer and more effective T-cell receptor mimic (TCRm) antibodies. It combines proprietary ultra-high-throughput pHLA kinetic screening with AI-based predictions, structural modeling, and deep in vitro validation to comprehensively assess target specificity and efficacy. The platform’s strength is demonstrated by the discovery of novel, superior TCRms against the cancer-testis antigen MAGE-A4, showing an unprecedentedly minimized off-target profile.

11:00 amNetworking Coffee Break

11:15 am

Amplifying Antibody Penetration: Endovascular Osmotic Modulation for Overcoming Biological Barriers

Miroslaw Janowski, MD, Tenured Professor, Radiology, University of Maryland Baltimore

Antibodies have become mainstream therapeutics due to their high precision, potency, and limited adverse effects. For neurological disorders and cancer, especially with poor prognosis, they represent highly attractive therapeutic agents, yet organ penetration remains challenging. We demonstrated that endovascular increasing osmotic pressure beyond current clinical standards followed by intra-arterial antibody infusion dramatically improves antibody extravasation to the target organs, including brain, in a safe manner, offering a promising therapeutic strategy.

11:45 am

Hijacking Extracellular Targeted Protein Degrader–Drug Conjugates for Enhanced Drug Delivery

Fangzhu Zhao, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Dr. Jim Wells, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco

This presentation explores a novel approach to enhance drug delivery by engineering bispecific antibodies that target the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR). By leveraging LDLR's natural ability to rapidly internalize and recycle, we can improve the targeted delivery and cellular uptake of therapeutic payloads. This strategy provides a blueprint for developing next-generation bispecifics with enhanced efficacy in cancer treatment and other diseases requiring precise targeting.

12:15 pmEnjoy Lunch on Your Own

TOOLS AND COMPUTATIONAL STRATEGIES

1:30 pm

Chairperson's Remarks

Peter M. Tessier, PhD, Albert M. Mattocks Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences & Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan

1:35 pm

Leveraging Single-Cell Sequencing to Identify Highly Precise T Cell Engager Targets

Colton Bracken, PhD, Senior Scientist, Antibody Engineering, Cartography Biosciences Inc

T cell engagers (TCEs) are a promising approach for solid tumors, with the first TCE for a major solid tumor approved in 2024. However, progress is limited by a lack of tumor-selective targets that maximize efficacy while minimizing on-target, off-tumor toxicity. We developed the ATLAS platform, a curated single-cell RNA sequencing resource that leverages both healthy and tumor-derived datasets to identify highly precise TCE targets. Using ATLAS, we discovered LY6G6D as a tumor-specific colorectal-cancer (CRC) target, guiding the engineering of a best-in-class LY6G6D TCE for CRC.

2:05 pm

Understanding and Modulating Disease with Antibody Engineering and Physics-Aware Deep Learning

Dima Kozakov, PhD, Director, AI/Physics in Drug Discovery, UT Austin

Deep learning–based approaches have revolutionized protein structure prediction, yet the structural modeling and design of antibodies and novel protein interactions remain challenging. We present a physics-aware deep learning framework that addresses key limitations by incorporating biophysical principles into the learning and inference process. We demonstrate applications of this approach in combination with antibody engineering to design agonistic bispecific antibodies, as well as its integration with multi-omics data to uncover mechanisms of disease.


2:35 pm Next generation bispecific antibody manufacturing based on an innovative modular tool box

Stefan Schmidt, CEO, evitria AG

We showcase several versatile tools to quickly generate multispecific antibody formats. The first technology creates fully functional multispecific antibodies by reconstitution from well-defined building blocks in the form of individual antibody fragments via transsplicing. The second approach involves algorithms to identify ideal chromatography conditions to separate mis-aligned multispecific antibodies from the correctly assembled variants. These processes open the door for rapid generation of large combinatorial panels of antibodies, unlocking more data to quickly identify optimal candidates and accelerate preclinical research.

3:05 pmNetworking Refreshment Break

3:30 pm

Engineering T Cell Engagers for ‘Complete on/off Killing’ Selectivity by Combining Machine Learning and High-Throughput Experimentation

Winston Haynes, PhD, Vice President, Computational Sciences and Engineering, LabGenius Therapeutics

LabGenius Therapeutics’ EVA platform leverages avidity-driven selectivity to overcome T cell engager (TCE) challenges, including on-target, off-tumor toxicity in solid tumors. In this talk, we describe how the closed-loop integration of high-throughput experimentation with machine learning has facilitated the discovery and optimization of multispecifics for function and developability. Specifically, we showcase how we have developed a pipeline of TCEs that exhibit ‘on/off killing selectivity’ for targets with minimal expression differences.

4:00 pm

Computational Design of Multispecifics: Predicting Mutation Effects and Optimizing Binding Affinity

Maria Rodriguez Martinez, PhD, Associate Professor, Biomedical Informatics & Data Science, Yale University

The design of multispecific antibodies presents unique computational challenges due to the need to evaluate and optimize multiple binding interfaces simultaneously. In this talk, I will present a methodological framework that integrates structural models (e.g., AlphaFold), protein language models, and affinity prediction data across diverse platforms and targets. By combining these representations with graph-based machine learning, our models capture key determinants of binding. Our multi-layered approach supports mutation-effect prediction and affinity optimization, even with limited or noisy data. I will highlight how it improves generalization across antibody–antigen pairs and enables more rational antibody design.

4:30 pm

FEATURED PRESENTATION: An AI-Guided Brain-Shuttle Platform for Bispecifics and Enhanced CNS Selectivity

 

John Avera, Scientist II, Protein Sciences, Manifold

This talk will introduce an AI-guided platform designed to create and optimize bispecifics for enhanced delivery to the central nervous system (CNS). By leveraging this technology, we can engineer these therapeutics with improved CNS selectivity and biodistribution, overcoming the blood-brain barrier. We will present case studies that demonstrate how this platform accelerates the development of novel bispecific treatments for neurological disorders.





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