Specificity screening tool to improve biotherapeutic safety
Official title: Specificity Screening Drug Development Tool for Biotherapeutic Safety
Funded at Integral Molecular · NIH-11397464 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new lab test helps check if antibody and CAR-T therapies might bind to unintended parts of the body, aiming to prevent safety problems before medicines reach patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Integral Molecular NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $879,255 |
| NIH project number | 5SB1GM156044-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397464 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patient participants in this grant, as it focuses on developing a screening technology.
✕Less likely to help
Patients are not directly enrolled in this project.
What this research studies
This project develops and tests a membrane-based screening tool called the Membrane Proteome Array to predict off-target binding of biotherapeutics like monoclonal antibodies and CAR-T cells. By screening against a large set of human membrane proteins in their native setup, the method aims to give earlier warning about potential safety issues in preclinical stages. The work proceeds with rigorous validation and quality checks to ensure the tool is reliable for future drug discovery programs. If successful, this approach could streamline Biotech pipelines and reduce late-stage failures due to safety concerns.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from safer biotherapeutics with fewer unexpected adverse effects.
How similar studies have gone: Prior approaches have limited predictive value; this project builds on prior SBIR work and aims to outperform existing methods.
Where this research is happening
-
Integral Molecular
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Doranz, Benjamin J — Integral Molecular
- Study coordinator: Doranz, Benjamin J
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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High-throughput discovery of antibodies for hard-to-study membrane proteins
A NIH grant aims to create and test many monoclonal antibodies against important but understudied membrane proteins to help research and potential therapies.
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Finding antibodies for understudied cell-surface proteins using mRNA
This project uses mRNA to produce hard-to-study cell-surface proteins so researchers can find antibodies that might lead to new tests or treatments for people affected by those proteins.
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Identifying how antibodies protect against certain viral infections
This study is looking at how our immune system's antibodies recognize certain parts of Enterovirus and Bunyavirus, which could help create better vaccines and treatments for everyone.
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Creating Fast and Safe Tests for Viruses like COVID-19
This project aims to create a quicker and safer lab test to measure how well antibodies protect against viruses, including those that cause pandemics.
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Creating faster and safer tests for viruses like COVID-19
This study is working on a new virus test that helps quickly and safely check how well antibodies fight off viruses like COVID-19, making it easier for researchers to get faster results for vaccine trials and other important health studies.
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Developing a tool to improve the safety of biotherapeutic drugs
This study is working on a new way to make sure that certain advanced treatments for diseases, like monoclonal antibodies and CAR-T cell therapies, are safer by using a special tool to better understand how they interact with the body, which could help prevent problems before they happen.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.