1. Academic Validation
  2. Supramolecular coiled-coil peptide platform for site-specific antibody drug conjugate engineering

Supramolecular coiled-coil peptide platform for site-specific antibody drug conjugate engineering

  • Nat Commun. 2026 Mar 2;17(1):3603. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70094-y.
Alina Ringaci 1 Ting-Yu Shih 1 Mark W Grinstaff 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Departments of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
  • 2 Departments of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA. [email protected].
Abstract

Antibody conjugates play a central role across multiple healthcare sectors with a prime example being antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Although widely used lysine and hinge cysteine conjugation methods yield products, the lack of site-specificity and spatial control along with the highly heterogeneous composition are significant limitations. Herein, we describe a facile supramolecular assembly method based on heterodimer coiled-coil formation for site-specific antibody conjugation that perseveres antibody antigen binding sites for target engagement. The platform method affords uniform loading of diverse payloads including anti-cancer agents, Polymers, Enzymes, fluorophores, etc. under mild aqueous conditions. Further, the facile convergent approach capitalizes on the independent strengths and flexibility of protein expression and peptide chemistry culminating in a final self-assembly step. An ADC loaded with monomethyl Auristatin E targeting ErbB2/Her2 positive tumors significantly reduces tumor volume in a human ovarian Cancer xenograft model outperforming the antibody alone with validated performance against a best-in-class therapeutic.

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