Protein Therapeutics Forming the Backbone of Next-Generation Therapies in Biotech
The word ‘protein’ often makes one think of a steak dinner or a smoothie, but in the world of biotech protein therapeutics are forming the backbone of next-generation therapies and novel medicines. Advances in data processing and artificial intelligence (AI) have made high-throughput data mining and analysis in proteomics possible.
An increase in partnerships amongst biopharma and biotech companies is allowing laboratory science to intersect with sophisticated tech platforms that allow for the rapid generation of protein sequences in numerous modalities, for countless diseases.
Protein therapeutics differ from small molecule drugs in that they are not chemically synthesized. Instead, they are engineered within living cells or organisms. Insulin was one of the first protein therapeutics discovered in 1922 and became widely available sixty years later when scientists learned how to harness E. coli to produce it in large amounts. Remarkable advancements in molecular biology and protein engineering in the last few decades have enabled scientists to create many new protein therapeutics to potentially treat a wide range of diseases (Fu et al., 2020). However, there are still drawbacks, the most common being unwanted immune reactions.
The market for protein therapeutics is expected to grow through 2027 at a CAGR of 6.86% - to $290.69B from $182.69B in 2021 (Philippidis, 2021). Most of 2020’s top selling drugs were protein therapeutics, and the number one drug sold in 2021 was Humira (AbbieVie), an injectable monoclonal antibody (called a TNF-blocker) approved to treat ten inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
This expected growth is indeed reflected in many emerging biotech companies having turned their focus toward unlocking the therapeutic potential of proteins, and prominent investment firms are pouring capital into startups working in this space. Advancements in AI, computational science, and data processing have been rapidly made in the last several years, allowing companies to create novel platforms which combine protein science expertise with structural biology - resulting in machine learning algorithms designed to analyze millions of known proteins and peptides (Philippidis, 2021).
One such company is Generate: Biomedicines. Flagship Pioneering launched Generate in 2019, and in that time has studied every known protein structure, every protein-protein interaction, and roughly 190 million amino acid (the building blocks of proteins) sequences, converting this information into data which can be used toward creating novel protein therapeutics which overcome the limitations of current therapies, such as immunogenicity or effectiveness of therapy. “Nature has only sampled a small fraction of potential proteins over the course of history, so our ability to truly have command and explore the totality of protein space opens up entirely novel amino acid sequences with desired therapeutic categories,” Mike Nally, CEO of Generate told Alex Philippidis of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
Proteins are critically important in nearly every cellular process, including hormone production, enzymatic reactions, chemical signals, immune function, and energy production. Many diseases stem from malfunctioning, absent, or overactive proteins. Sophisticated platforms bringing to light new protein functions and optimizing them to overcome drawbacks to current therapies will be invaluable in the biotech industry’s hottest therapeutic areas – cell and gene therapies, immuno-oncology, infectious disease, and regenerative medicine.
As life sciences executive search consultants, it is important to have a fundamental understanding of different classes of therapeutics in the biopharma industry to best engage clients and candidates and understand how to efficiently source candidates who are highly relevant. Deepening awareness of different therapeutics enables rapport building and skilled communication with clients and candidates, one of the most undervalued skills in the modern recruitment industry today.
At BayBridge, we understand the complexity and multitude of cutting edge therapeutics and strive to work with our clients on mutual level of understanding to provide the deepest and most robust service possible. If your leadership team is interested in learning more about our Talent Management approach to executive search, please reach out at hello@baybr.com or on Twitter @_BayBridge_.
References
Fu, K., March, K., Alexaki, A., Fabozzi, G., Moysi, E., Petrovas, C. (14 May 2020). Immunogenicity of protein therapeutics: A lymph node perspective. Frontiers in Immunology. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00791. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.00791/full
Philippides, A. (19 November 2021). Next generation: Growing protein therapeutics developer raises $370M. Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News. https://www.genengnews.com/topics/drug-discovery/therapeutics/protein-therapeutics/next-generation-growing-protein-therapeutics-developer-raises-370m/
