CHE Fall Seminar Series

Details

Speaker: Peter Tessier, PhD
Departments of Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering, Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan

Title:
Brain-penetrating biologics: from design to drug delivery applications

Abstract: The modest ability of antibodies and other biologics to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) severely limits their use in research, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications. We are developing bispecific antibodies – referred to as brain shuttles – that are administered intravenously, engage BBB receptors, and are efficiently transported into the central nervous system. We find that brain shuttles targeting different BBB receptors have unique advantages, as some mediate fast brain uptake, which is desirable for treating acute brain disorders, while others mediate surprisingly long retention in the brain, which is desirable for treating chronic brain disorders. Here, we will discuss our recent work using directed evolution and active learning for generating brain shuttles that have ultra-rare binding properties, including similar affinities to poorly conserved orthologs of BBB receptors from mouse, monkey, and human, which greatly simplifies clinical translation. We will also discuss our recent work on using our brain shuttles for delivering nucleic acid agents for efficient and selective reduction of neuronal gene expression in the brain, as well as for delivering cytokines for selectively expanding regulatory T cells in the brain for combating neuroinflammation.

Bio: Peter Tessier is the Albert M. Mattocks (Endowed) Professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering, and a member of the Biointerfaces Institute and Chemical Biology Program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware (2003, NASA Graduate Fellow) and performed his postdoctoral studies at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT (2003-2007, American Cancer Society Fellow). Tessier started his independent career as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2007, and he was an endowed full professor at Rensselaer prior to moving to the University of Michigan in 2017. His research focuses on therapeutic antibody engineering and brain drug delivery using novel experimental and computational methods with the long-term goal of improving the treatment of human disorders ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases. He has received several awards and fellowships in recognition of his pioneering work: Pew Scholar Award in Biomedical Sciences (2010-2014), Humboldt Fellowship for Experienced Researchers (2014-2015), Young Scientist Award from the World Economic Forum (2014), Young Investigator Award from the American Chemical Society (2015) and a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (2010-2015).