​In June 1986, FDA approved the first antibody drug in the US — muromonab-CD3 (Orthoclone OKT3). OKT3 comprises a murine monoclonal antibody against CD3 and it is used as an immunosuppressant for the treatment of acute transplant rejection. Since then, major technological advances have made the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies much quicker and more efficient. In the next 35 years, more and more therapeutic antibodies were approved. In April 2021, FDA approved the 100th therapeutic antibody. The approval of the 100th therapeutic antibody marked a new journey for the global antibody drug industry.

Five years ago, also in April, more than 20 professionals in the field of therapeutic antibody gathered in Boston and established the Chinese Antibody Society, a nonprofit professional organization with the mission of building a platform that facilitates the communication and collaboration of the global community in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of antibody-based products. From that day, the Chinese Antibody Society set off its own journey. In the past five years, the Chinese Antibody Society has grown exponentially. At the time when the Chinese Antibody Society turned to 5 years old, the Chinese Antibody Society has more than 2500 registered members, has its own peer-reviewed journal Antibody Therapeutics, has held more than 40 webinars and numerous on-site events. The annual conference of the Chinese Antibody Society has also become one of the most influential conference in the therapeutic antibody field.

Standing at the milestone of the approval of the 100th therapeutic antibody, the early approved antibody products are primarily in the form of traditional IgG antibodies. In recent years, more and more non-traditional antibody formats have emerged, including bispecific antibodies, trispecific antibodies, antibody-conjugated drugs (ADC), and some complex antibody drugs in various formats such as antibody + cell, antibody + nucleic acid, antibody + small molecule, antibody + protein/peptide, etc. It is expected to the therapeutic antibody field will soon enter the new era of AntibodyPlusTM integration. The AntibodyPlusTM integration is a brand-new concept recently proposed by the Chinese Antibody Society. We firmly believe that the integration of antibody with some other therapeutic modalities is the trend in next 5~10 years.

In view of the new trend in this field, Chinese Antibody Society is now pleased to hold the 2021 Annual Conference – “The next 100 antibodies to be approved by FDA: emerging antibody modalities and beyond” in October 2021. The annual conference will be held online via Zoom and free for registration to the public. In our two half-day events, speakers from both industry and academia will share their insights in diverse topics of antibody-based therapeutics and discuss the new trend AntibodyPlusTM integration. This event is a perfect opportunity for the attendees to stay up to date on the most recent progress and challenges in antibody-based drug development. We have invited distinguished guest speakers in biopharma industry and academia specializing in the field of therapeutic antibody.