title: Biopharmaceutical drug discovery using novel protein scaffolds.
abstract: In recent years, biopharmaceutical drug products have become hugely successful. However, they are often complex molecules that are expensive to manufacture. Commercial needs for cost-effective therapies have therefore led to the development of novel protein scaffold technologies that are increasingly being used for biopharmaceutical drug discovery. Major new scaffolds include single-domain antibodies, small modular immunopharmaceuticals, tetranectins, AdNectins, A-domain proteins, lipocalins and ankyrin repeat proteins. These scaffolds offer low-cost alternatives to classical antibody therapeutic strategies and some have shown early clinical promise. Further progress in the field will permit the commercially successful development of sophisticated protein therapeutics against complex disease targets.
authors.affiliation: Wyeth Research, Biological Technologies 87 CambridgePark Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, USA. dgill@wyeth.com
authors.forename: Davinder S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Nitin K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Damle
mesh_terms: D001702:Biopharmaceutics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D015195:Drug Design; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins