Tillman Gerngross

Abstract

When Tillman Gerngross co-founded Adimab in 2007, his goal was to build a one-stop antibody-discovery shop for biopharma partners in need of biologic therapeutics. In the years since, the company has worked on over 350 programmes from more than 70 partners, helping advance 41 antibodies into the clinic — without ever being tempted into drug development programmes of its own. The onset of COVID-19 has changed that. Although dozens of biopharma firms are already working on therapeutic antibodies that might help keep the SARS-CoV-2 virus at bay, Gerngross and his co-founders of the Adimab spin-out Adagio Therapeutics see an opportunity to use antibodies to tackle coronaviruses more broadly. And, while much of the drug discovery world is laser-focused on the current pandemic, perhaps now is the time to also start preparing for the next outbreak. Gerngross spoke with Asher Mullard about broadly neutralizing antibodies for the prevention of coronaviral infections, and more.