NextCure, Lilly partner to find new immuno-oncology targets

PD-1 pioneer Lieping Chen's NextCure Inc. (Beltsville, Md.) partnered with Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) to use the biotech's FIND-IO platform to discover immuno-oncology targets.

FIND-IO identifies new targets on immune-suppressive macrophages, dendritic cells and other antigen-presenting cells. Unlike discovery platforms that use gene knockdown or knockout to find new targets, FIND-IO involves transfecting immune cells with gene libraries to induce overexpression, assessing interactions between the transfected cells and other immune cells, and assaying the cells for functional responses such as activation and proliferation (see "Next, After T Cells")...