Technology

TOBI™ Platform

HCW Biologics has combined a deep understanding of disease-related immunology with expertise in advanced protein engineering to develop TOBI™ (Tissue factOr-Based fusIon), a proprietary immunotherapeutic drug design and discovery platform¹. By harnessing this modular and tunable technology, we have generated a novel pipeline of product candidates that we believe are capable of activating and targeting desired immune responses while also blocking unwanted immunosuppressive activities¹. Built around a Tissue Factor (TF) scaffold, the TOBI platform has the potential to pack multiple protein targets, including cytokines, single-chain antibodies, and ligands, into a fusion molecule capable of engaging immunostimulatory functions and addressing many signaling pathways simultaneously. Some of these fusion protein complexes have ex vivo and in vivo applications for stimulating natural killer (NK) and T cells for cancer-cell and senescent-cell killing and blocking immunosuppression. Moreover, the TOBI platform is reproducible and suitable for cGMP manufacturing¹.

1. Liu B, et al. Bifunctional TGF-β trap/IL-15 protein complex elicits potent NK cell and CD8+ T cell immunity against solid tumors. Mol Ther. 2021 Oct 6;29(10):2949-2962.