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Updated: Jun 12, 2025

High-Throughput Cellular Profiling of Targeted Protein Degradation Compounds Using HiBiT CRISPR Cell Lines
Published on: November 9, 2020
Transferrin receptor targeting chimeras for membrane protein degradation
Dingpeng Zhang1,2, Jhoely Duque-Jimenez1, Francesco Facchinetti3,4,5
1Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Researchers developed Transferrin Receptor Targeting Chimeras (TransTACs), a new antibody therapy. TransTACs degrade target membrane proteins in cancer cells by hijacking iron uptake pathways for targeted cancer treatment.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cancer cells exhibit high iron requirements for proliferation, upregulating cell-surface transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) for iron uptake.
- TfR1 facilitates rapid endocytosis, presenting an opportunity for targeted cellular manipulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel antibody-based therapeutic strategy for targeted membrane protein degradation.
- To engineer a bifunctional antibody modality capable of co-internalizing target proteins with TfR1.
Main Methods:
- Development of Transferrin Receptor Targeting Chimeras (TransTACs), heterobispecific antibodies.
- Engineering TransTACs to bind both a target membrane protein and TfR1, inducing co-internalization.
- Utilizing the lysosomal degradation pathway for efficient protein clearance.
Main Results:
- TransTACs demonstrated efficient degradation of various membrane proteins, including EGFR, PD-L1, CD20, and CAR.
- Successful application in reversible control of CAR T cells and targeting drug-resistant EGFR-mutant lung cancer in a xenograft model.
Conclusions:
- TransTACs represent a promising new class of bifunctional antibodies for precise membrane protein manipulation.
- This modality offers a novel approach for targeted cancer therapy, including drug-resistant mutations.
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