BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Tetragenetics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibody therapeutics for ion-channel mediated disorders, announced today that they will be presenting news of the discovery of functional antibodies against Nav1.8 at the Antibody Engineering & Therapeutics Virtual Conference taking place Dec 14^th – 16^th.

The success of TetraGenetics is based on its strategy for identifying function-modulating antibodies targeting human ion channels such as the Navs, made possible by high-yield recovery of purified functional Nav1.8 produced in the TetraExpress™ platform and formulated to preferentially recover surface-binding antibodies.

Voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) mediate pain signals in the peripheral nervous system, but have posed a significant challenge as targets for the development of non-opioid pain therapies.

A multi-platform antibody discovery approach (phage display, llama immunization) has enabled TetraGenetics to identify functional anti-Nav1.8 antibodies that selectively inhibit Nav1.8 currents in a recombinant cell line. A lead antibody molecule demonstrates significant inhibition of activity in sensitive human dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, at a level that translates to clinical analgesia.

“The discovery of these functional antibodies represents a clear industry breakthrough and accelerates the company’s transition from research to full scale drug development,” said Doug Kahn, CEO of TetraGenetics.

A video introduction to TetraGenetics presentation at the conference is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnlQ6gYbqtc&feature=youtu.be

About TetraGenetics: TetraGenetics is focused on the discovery and development of first-in-class biologic medicines for pain, autoimmune diseases, and fibrosis. The company has the leading drug discovery platform (TetraExpress™) for identifying antibodies targeting ion channels and other transmembrane proteins. TetraGenetics is actively building a proprietary drug pipeline and working collaboratively with major biotech companies for antibody drug discovery. For more information, please visit: www.tetragenetics.com.

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