Treating the Untreatable: Harnessing Biological Processes to Fight Disease

Here at Teva we are all in for better health and committed to innovative drug development to address the pressing needs of patients.

At the forefront of Teva’s innovative medicines pipeline is the development of therapeutic antibodies. Antibodies are complex medicines derived from the immune system’s antibody-producing cells, called B-cells. They are naturally produced against elements the body perceives as foreign, such as infectious agents and cancer cells. Our scientists can exploit antibody-producing mechanisms to identify highly selective antibodies and neutralize disease-causing proteins or regulate biologic processes to treat disease.

What are biologics and why are they so important?

Biologics are complex medicines made by living cells that can, because of their larger and more complex molecular structure, provide precise and personalized treatments with potentially fewer side effects and safety concerns. Therapeutic antibodies are now being explored for their potential in treating infectious and neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular conditions, showcasing their expanding role in modern medicine.

What is Teva doing in this space?

Working across immunology and neuroscience, Teva is focused on identifying highly targeted antibodies to fight disease. With recent launches and an extensive pipeline, Teva has acquired industry-leading experience in screening and selecting disease-fighting antibodies for effective therapies.

Teva’s Antibody Discovery team, located in Sydney, Australia, is where our innovative medicine program starts. We leverage our biological know-how in neuroscience, immunology, and immuno-oncology alongside our antibody engineering, protein sciences and drug development expertise to validate disease-causing targets, and design and engineer the best possible therapeutic antibodies to take forward into clinical development. 

The science: how do monoclonal antibodies work?

Antibodies are proteins that our bodies naturally produce to fight off threats such as infections and some cancer cells. Our scientists can exploit antibody-producing mechanisms to identify highly selective antibodies to neutralize disease-causing proteins.

The therapeutic antibody is like a key that fits perfectly into a lock. When the key (antibody) fits into the lock (disease-causing protein), it either stops the harmful molecule from working or changes its function to help fight the disease.

How are monoclonal antibodies created?

The process of antibody discovery and development is not trivial – it can be compared to finding a needle in a haystack. Careful thought, planning and good science goes into identifying the antibody with the right characteristics. We use cutting edge single B cell technologies in our Sydney laboratories to screen millions of antibodies and identify that needle in the haystack. Our antibody engineers then apply their craft to optimize its characteristics and turn it into a drug.

Teva is at the leading edge of this technology. Using nanoscale cell isolation and culture our researchers can screen one million antibody-producing human B cells at a time. We use several experimental techniques, including leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, to select the B cells that are making the most desirable antibodies. Analyzing many more B cells – much faster – has increased the probability of success, explains Anthony Doyle, Vice President of R&D and Head of the Biologics Discovery site in Sydney.

“We have been early adopters, at the cutting edge of the single B cell technologies as they have arisen in recent years” Anthony says. “That accumulated knowledge – and our experience working with multiple generations of single B cell technologies – gives us a real advantage in finding and developing new antibodies that not only work, but that also can be manufactured effectively. We have the tools to advance new treatments for some diseases that other companies haven’t been able to develop.”

But finding an antibody is just the start.

We work with an enterprise mindset. Our Sydney team of experts in antibody generation, protein sciences, and discovery biology work with our Teva colleagues across the globe in our innovative R&D centers in Netanya, Israel, Debrecen, Hungary and West Chester, Pennsylvania to progress therapeutic antibody candidates that are manufacturable, safe, and effective into clinical development and finally into the clinic where we can make a difference to patients' lives.

“Biologics development has opened the door to new and exciting ways to manage diseases that haven’t had effective treatments in the past,” says Anthony. “That means more patients will be able to get the help they need to improve their health – and their lives. The exciting thing is that Teva is in a strong position to make a major contribution.”

Embrace our excitement for drug development: Are you eager to make a tangible impact on global health? Explore the career opportunities at TEVA and join our vision. For more information, visit Teva Pharmaceuticals Careers page

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