4 min read
Just as we do every year, Antibody Solutions took part in Boston’s famous PEGS Summit. While we couldn’t interact with all 2,200 attendees or visit all 120 exhibitors’ booths, we still had a great time connecting with our colleagues and hearing what was top-of-mind for the industry's collective consciousness.
Joshua Lowitz poses with Poster B010 on the opening day of PEGS 2026.
Being able to participate in PEGS in any capacity is always an honor and a privilege, and this year Antibody Solutions delivered both a poster and a luncheon presentation. During the poster session on Tuesday, our Director of Project Management, Joshua Lowitz, presented the poster Unlocking the Full Potential of Rabbit Monoclonal Antibodies with Cellestive™. Our poster walked PEGS attendees through our use of multiple B-cell discovery pathways to generate rabbit monoclonals for critical reagents used in PK & ADA assays, IHC, and even therapeutics.
Delivering my presentation on Wednesday morning.
Within the Engineering Antibodies track I presented the talk, A binder is not enough: Combining antibody discovery and engineering through Cellestive™. Formerly distinct parts of the drug development process, I believe discovery and engineering have progressively overlapped and are beginning to inform each other bilaterally. This overlap is driven by increasingly tougher targets and the complexity of antibody drug formats (e.g., ADCs, Bispecifics/T-cell Engagers). I described how we engineered reagents to raise antibodies to a difficult target (i.e. a GPCR), used Cellestive to obtain very large and diverse antibody repertoires from multiple subtypes of B-cells, and then moved sequences directly into different formats to quickly obtain proof of concept for an intended drug modality.
One of the few quiet moments at the Antibody Solutions booth.
Many of our colleagues came by our booth to say hello, which we always appreciate. We were able to attend many interesting talks on such topics as optimizing candidates, transgenic host usage, and engineering bispecifics, multispecifics, and antibody drug conjugates. Standout talks for me included: a) Patrick Baeuerle’s review of successful T-cell engagers and how they come in all different affinities, shapes, and sizes, b) Nils Lonberg’s review of the successes and failures of checkpoint inhibitors and how differences in mouse vs. human biology has muddied the discovery landscape, and c) Alexander Martinko’s mapping of tumor targets and how careful discernment of tumor antigen expression can provide a key link from the biology to a modality. Many talks centered on how artificial intelligence can be used as part of a “Lab in the Loop” for drug discovery. We continue to have our eyes open for what can add value, including A.I., to the process of antibody discovery and engineering.
With not just PEGS, but ASCGT and TIDES happening in Boston at the same time, I was reminded of the ways in which drug discovery is constantly evolving. Boston has always been a place for fishermen, whether they are on the sea for cod or in the lab researching lifesaving drugs. Seeing how complex fishing for drugs has become, I'm still reminded of the basics of how my father taught me to fish as a young boy: know where to look, know how to use your gear, adjust to conditions, and persevere. The lessons my father taught me about fishing proved an invaluable base lesson in approaching these changing conditions in drug development and has helped shape our success.
John Kenney, PhD and Joshua Lowitz representing the Antibody Solutions team at PEGS 2026.
Overall, PEGS 2026 felt like a good indicator that the industry is still robust and, just as importantly, that collective optimism remains when it comes to the opportunities that lie ahead for the next few years. If you missed us this time around, or if you weren’t able to do PEGS this year, we’d still love to connect. Contact us today so we can help start you on your discovery and engineering crossover journey.
