Many antibody discovery challenges aren't solved by downstream engineering, they're solved earlier, through the right strategy and technique choices at the point of target and discovery design. Programmes with multiple or nuanced requirements, and target types that require specialised antigen and discovery techniques, benefit from experienced guidance from the first stages. Hits that look promising in a screen can fail to translate into a working therapeutic unless downstream requirements are considered from the start. And as programmes move into newer territory - intracellular targets, targeted delivery beyond the liver, complex multi-specific formats - the antibody format itself is often the limiting factor, not the biology.
This is where Isogenica works. We're a Cambridge, UK-based CRO specialising in the discovery and engineering of VHH single-domain antibodies for next-generation biologics.
What We Offer
We run end-to-end VHH discovery and engineering programmes - from target strategy through lead selection, affinity maturation and format engineering - using synthetic, humanized VHH libraries which are among the most diverse available. Our work spans antibody-drug and oligonucleotide conjugates, bispecific and multispecific formats, CAR-T and cell therapy, intracellular targets and protein degradation, agonist/antagonist discovery, and radiopharma and molecular imaging, including targets and projects that require specialised antigen and discovery techniques such as multipass transmembrane and intracellular targets. We also address a problem many discovery campaigns hit late: short plasma half-life in small-format antibodies, which we solve for directly through dedicated half-life extension work.
What Sets Us Apart
The core differentiator is speed backed by evidence, not a platform claim: we work to cut typical discovery timelines in half by accelerating lead selection and reducing downstream engineering rework, meaning developability risk gets surfaced early, not after months of investment. We operate as a genuine extension of your team rather than a vendor relationship, with regular, direct collaboration from target strategy through to engineering decisions. Our experience across ADC/AOC, CNS and delivery applications, and multi-specific immune engagement means partners get thoughtful, well-informed strategic guidance from the earliest stages of a programme.
The Value We Bring
For biotech teams under real timeline and capital pressure, the value isn't just "an antibody" - it's a defensible, developable candidate reaching a translational or partnering milestone faster, with fewer surprises downstream. With 25+ years of discovery experience, well over 100 programmes delivered, and multiple candidates progressed into clinical trials, Isogenica helps small to mid-sized biotech and biopharma teams take on modality-ambitious programmes - ADCs, bispecifics, intracellular delivery and more - that would otherwise require capabilities only found in large pharma R&D.
Learn more: isogenica.com
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