In this month’s episode of The Chain, Greg M. Thurber, associate professor of chemical engineering and biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan, sits with moderator Nimish Gera, vice president of biologics at Mythic Therapeutics, to talk about the development of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Thurber details the history of ADCs and the skepticism facing the field during the mid-2010s, despite showing great promise in anticancer treatment. He also discusses how recent FDA approvals and breakthroughs have reignited interest and pivoted research toward designing more successful ADCs. Finally, he shares his thoughts on the exciting developments in the field in the next few years, including how ADCs could play a key role in polytherapy.

GUEST BIO

Greg M. Thurber
Greg M. Thurber is Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan and Associate Chair of Graduate Education in ChE. His work focuses on applying fundamental biotransport principles to design novel therapeutics and molecular imaging agents including antibody drug conjugates. Prof. Thurber received his PhD training in protein therapeutics at MIT in the laboratory of Dr. Dane Wittrup and postdoctoral training in molecular imaging at Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the lab of Dr. Ralph Weissleder. During his career, he has authored over 65 papers and book chapters and delivered 85 invited talks at major pharmaceutical companies, national and international conferences, and university departmental seminars. He also has consulting/research contract affiliations with more than 20 different companies. Prof. Thurber’s work has been featured in popular news outlets including NPR’s “All Things Considered” and Smithsonian Magazine, and he has received several awards including an NIH K01 award, the National Science Foundation CAREER award, and the World ADC George R. Pettit Award for Individual Contribution to the Field of Antibody Drug Conjugates.

MODERATOR BIO

Nimish Gera, Ph.D., Vice President of Biologics, Mythic Therapeutics
Nimish Gera is the vice president of biologics at Mythic Therapeutics overseeing antibody discovery, engineering, optimization, and cell-based screening technologies to generate antibody-drug conjugates. Nimish’s broad experience in biotech encompasses various modalities (monoclonal antibodies, bispecific antibodies, protein-fusions, and antibody-drug conjugates) and therapeutic areas (oncology, immuno-oncology, autoimmune, and rare disease). Prior to Mythic, Nimish served as a project leader at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where he led and managed diverse cross-functional project teams to lead two antibody discovery programs into development. Prior to Alexion, Nimish helped establish discovery sciences functionality at Oncobiologics (now Outlook Therapeutics) and identified multiple lead candidates for the company’s platform. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular engineering with a minor in biotechnology at North Carolina State University and a Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.