Affinity Engineering Modulates Soluble Antigen Degrader Activity

Soluble extracellular proteins drive many physiological and pathological signaling pathways, and targeted degradation offers a potential strategy for their therapeutic modulation. Here, we engineered bispecific targeting chimeras (TACs) that couple soluble proteins to constitutively internalizing cell-surface effectors for clearance. Using transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) as an initial effector, we find that uptake depends on both binding arms. Rapid target association facilitates extracellular antigen capture, while increased intracellular dissociation can improve uptake when overall binding strength is maintained. Introducing pH-sensitive target binders enhances internalization, but only when neutral-pH affinity remains high. We also find that atypical chemokine receptor 5 (ACKR5) can serve as an alternative internalizing effector. Applying these principles to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), an optimized TAC more effectively inhibits its signaling than FDA-approved anti-TNF-α therapy adalimumab. These findings identified molecular determinants for engineering TACs targeting soluble extracellular proteins.