Antibody Engineering & Therapeutics 2024

2024 is coming to a close and Antibody Solutions was privileged to put in an appearance at one final before the New Year. As we do every December, we attended Antibody Engineering and Therapeutics (AET), held at the gorgeous Marriott Marquis in San Diego, California.

Check-in at AET, right outside the exhibition hall, at the always beautifully turned out San Diego Marriott Marquis.

Our years of attendance at AET have afforded us invaluable opportunities to make sincere and lasting connections with our industry colleagues. This is due in no small part to the convention’s high attendance rate – more than 900 academics and industry professionals this year, including representatives from more than 75 exhibiting institutions. AET’s offering of intellectual stimuli was also as bountiful as ever, with over 130 talks given across several educational tracks spread throughout its four days, not to mention more than 125 scientific posters. If you want to stay at the forefront of what is moving and shaking the biotech world, you really can’t do much better than AET.

Antibody Solutions’ booth, ready for showtime on the first day of AET.

Expanded Models and Economic Anxieties 

It’s always fascinating (sometimes even quite surprising) to see which topics emerge as the center of discussion at AET. The biotech world’s latest fascinations can usually be gleaned from a look at its topic schedule, but the really revealing intel comes from being in the room and talking to people one-on-one. Antibody Solutions had a presence on the exhibition floor at Booth #312, which this time was run by Michael Trang, one of our Project Managers, and by Debra Valsamis, who serves as our Business Development Manager.

Scenes from the Booth #312: On the left, our Business Development Manager Debra Valsamis chats with an attendee. At right, a very talented Mariachi band pauses by the booth and is joined in song by one of our fellow attendees.

When it comes to popular topics of discussion at AET, it was no surprise that emerging antibody modalities stole much of the spotlight. Multiple presentations focused on new and ongoing developments in bispecific and multispecific antibodies, single domain antibodies (sdAbs), antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), degrader antibody conjugates (DACs), and proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). These new-ish therapeutic models – especially PROTACs and DACs – stimulated a lot of discussion on the exhibition floor. We’ve previously talked about how bispecifics and ADCs offer exciting new ways to address drug delivery, and we’ll be interested to see what comes next with regards to the implementation of PROTACs and DACs.

Many attendees this year were feeling cautiously optimistic about the financial year ahead. 2024 was a difficult year for many companies in the biotech space, and it’s of course always hard to predict what challenges or advantages the new year will bring. There was a range of opinions about where funding will be coming from in 2025 (and what types of projects will capture that funding, and how quickly), but the general consensus was optimistic: Funding is out there and, after using 2024 as a year for strategic internal development, we can probably expect an industry return to a more robust output.

Come On Now, Get Social

There were, of course, many opportunities to have some fun, with multiple exhibitors putting on private receptions. We always appreciate OmniAb’s invitation to their annual soiree, which usually takes place on the second night of AET. This year’s party was rock ‘n roll themed, and we had a blast.

OmniAb’s Tuesday night party was a blast, as always. At right, AS Project Manager Michael Trang accepts the door prize.

AET’s mid-December placement means that everything has some additional holiday sparkle, with festive decorations and quirky photo booth opportunities both in and around the exhibit hall. It made for many fun opportunities to connect with fellow attendees. AET’s organizers never lose sight of the primary imperative of the show – the science – but they do a uniquely good job of building in opportunities for attendees to relax and enjoy themselves.

OmniAb’s Tuesday night party was a blast, as always. At right, AS Project Manager Michael Trang accepts the door prize.

We’re planning to be at AET next year. While we hope to see you there, remember that you don’t have to wait until then to talk to us. Reach out today to learn how we can put our extensive discovery platform to use for your project.