ATUM's New Lock-In™ Platform Solves Bispecific Mispairing

NEWARK, Calif., May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ATUM, a global leader in bioengineering and cell line development, today announced the official launch of its Lock-In™ Bispecifics Platform. Debuting at the PEGS Boston Summit, the platform is engineered to address the most critical hurdles in bispecific antibody (bsAb) development: complex molecular design requirements, light-chain mispairing, and biophysical instability.

The IgG-Like Advantage: Superior Developability by Design

Traditional bispecific formats often require "non-natural" structural compromises that result in increased aggregation, reduced stability, and expression difficulties. ATUM's Lock-In™ platform solves these challenges by utilizing a robust IgG-like architecture. By mimicking the natural symmetry and stability of standard monoclonal antibodies, the platform provides:

• Minimized Aggregation: Unlike fragment-based bispecifics that expose "sticky" hydrophobic patches, the Lock-In™ IgG-like scaffold protects the molecular interface, drastically reducing the risk of aggregation and immunogenicity.
  
  
• Increased Stability: By minimizing structural changes, the molecule is expected to perform in manners similar to IgG molecules, including clearance, solubility, and viscosity.
  
  
• Improved Expression: By retaining the full Fc region, Lock-In™ molecule expression and purification will align closer to IgG conditions, reducing the need to develop novel manufacturing capabilities or processes.

Bridging the Gap: From Discovery to Development

"The Lock-In™ platform allows our partners to move rapidly from antibody discovery to complex bispecific antibody development," said Gavin Barnard, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at ATUM. "By maintaining an IgG-like framework, we ensure that the transition from digital monoclonal antibody (mAb) sequences to a high-titer BsAb manufacturing cell line is seamless. By combining  with our lightningHEK™ transient expression, we can quickly evaluate multiple variable region mAb sequences across various bispecific formats for developability and manufacturability—removing months of development time needed for other formats."

Technical Snapshot: The Lock-In™ Advantage

• No Light Chain Mispairing: Eliminates the primary cause of product-related impurities and purification bottlenecks.
• Superior Productivity: Stable cell lines consistently generate titers exceeding 5 g/L without evidence of mispairing.
• Preserved Potency: Avoids the need for common light chains, preserving the original binding affinity and developability of lead candidates.

Streamlined Purification and Performance

The Lock-In™ platform offers a streamlined path to clinical reality. While traditional methods require extensive "design-build-test" cycles to address structural instabilities, Lock-In™ enables partners to preserve the integrity of their discovered antibodies while achieving industry-leading expression, purity and stability.

For more information, visit www.atum.bio.

About ATUM
ATUM is a fully integrated biotechnology contract research organization (CRO) providing services for gene design, protein engineering, and cell line development. By combining machine learning, synthetic biology, and proprietary expression technologies, ATUM helps partners worldwide transform digital sequences into clinical reality. ATUM is headquartered in Newark, California.

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SOURCE ATUM