Antibodies!

Antibodies! Ep. 2: Fc Engineering & Bispecifics with John Desjarlais

January 22, 2026·36 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

We’re excited to share episode 2 of the Antibodies! podcast, recorded live at the Antibody Engineering & Therapeutics conference in San Diego. Host ⁠Dr. Jonathan Davis⁠ PhD (Founder, Creative Antibodies) sits down with ⁠John Desjarlais⁠ PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Xencor, to discuss learnings from two decades of antibody engineering: Fc platforms, T-cell engagers in solid tumors, and bispecifics in autoimmune disease. In this conversation, they discuss: How a classical trombonist ended up engineering some of the most widely used Fc platforms in antibody therapeutics The KLH study that proved obexelimab could shut down B cells. Data so meaningful, John still keeps the plot on his office wall Why target selectivity matters more than immune environment for T-cell engagers in solid tumors The autoimmune gold rush: using T-cell engaging bispecifics to reset the immune system, inspired by Georg Schett’s CAR-T breakthrough Trispecifics, AND-gate targeting, and where bispecifics can go beyond oncology Be sure to listen all the way to the end for a surprise treat - an improvised harmonica blues duet between Jonathan and John! If you missed our previous episodes, you can find them here: ⁠https://tabs-antibodiespodcast.podbean.com/⁠

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