Caerus was tasked with the development of antibodies specific to human CX3CR1 (a.k.a., fractalkine receptor) as a therapeutic for inflammatory diseases.

The problem:

CX3CR1, also known as fractalkine receptor, is a 7-transmembrane GPCR protein. CX3CR1 is also a highly conserved protein, with 67% identity between mouse and human sequences. This hydrophobic protein is highly conserved in the extracellular domains to its mouse homolog, rendering conventional immunization approaches ineffective.

The solution:

Multiple subtractive immunization strategies were performed using cells that did not express antigen to subtract and cells that expressed antigen for immunization. To overcome these impediments, the expert Caerus team expert team used a mouse strain predisposed to autoimmunity, effectively reducing the barrier to breaking tolerance for this conserved antigen.

The result:

This expertise allowed Caerus to rapidly generate several high-affinity antibodies for the client, overcoming the barrier to this technically challenging receptor (GPCR, human CX3CR1), allowing them to generate novel IP and advance the development of their therapeutic.

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The client was developing a series of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor peptide therapeutics for cancer immunotherapy

The problem:

Screening of several potential drug candidates through In Vitro methods revealed promising candidates that needed to be tested in an In Vivo tumor model to evaluate anti-tumor activity to obtain critical proof of concept for investors.

The client had the technical expertise to conduct the study themselves but did not have access to their own vivarium, nor the budget as a small start-up to build their own vivarium. Going through local universities or collaborators lacked the speed and efficacy needed for their project. Outsourcing the study with a large CRO was risky as they were disappointed with the results in the past.

The solution:

By choosing Caerus as a partner, the client utilized one of our already approved IACUC protocols with the syngeneic tumor model they needed. Minor adjustments to the protocol were made to fit their specific needs and the protocol was rapidly approved by our internal regulatory committee.

The client utilized our turn-key vivarium space and was able to start their research rapidly and with full control over their study. Caerus managed the care and husbandry of the animals and all regulatory processes.

The result:

Through the tailored services provided by Caerus, the client obtained the critical proof of concept data they are confident in, within their tight timeline and without the expense of the technical services they did not need.

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