May 12, 2026 | When it comes to drug discovery, either you find a rare, clean target and everything clicks, or you spend a decade chasing biology that refuses to cooperate. Daniel Chen, M.D., Ph.D., founder and CEO of Synthetic Design Lab, makes the case for a different playbook: objective-driven protein engineering, where we start with the outcome and design biologics that can execute it with built-in logic. With host Andrew Bradbury, Chen unpacks the SYNTHBODY platform and what “multi-tier logic gating” means in real drug design. They dive into logic-gated antibody drug conjugates, where target summation can boost binding, internalization, trafficking, and payload delivery and where an additional AND gate can trigger multiplier functions that go beyond cytotoxic payloads.

Links from this episode:
Specifica
Synthetic Design Lab

How is BindCraft, the automated pipeline for de novo protein binder design, changing the protein design industry? Martin Pacesa, assistant professor of pharmacology at the University of Zurich, joins The Chain to discuss how BindCraft is helping non-protein designers learn how to design proteins—and how the role of the protein designer will evolve. With host Chris Bahl, their conversation explores how BindCraft may help with drug development, its role in the democratization of tools and resources, and how to work more collaboratively with AI models. Pacesa will also be speaking at May’s PEGS Summit in Boston.

Links from this episode:

AI Proteins

UZH - Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology

University of Zurich

Models & Molecules Podcast

Immune cell engagement is gaining traction, but what makes it different from other therapies? Patrick Baeuerle, Ph.D., chief scientific advisor at Cullinan Therapeutics, and Jeffrey Miller, M.D., deputy director of Masonic Cancer Center, join The Chain to discuss the advantages—and disadvantages—of immune cell engagers and how they compare to CAR T cells. Hosted by Laszlo Radvanyi, Ph.D., their conversation covers engineering recognition of multiple targets, what NK receptor is optimal to target, prospects for peptide MHC engagers and NK cells, and the future of the immune cell engagement field.

Links from this episode:
University of Toronto, Department of Immunology
University of Toronto
Cullinan Therapeutics
Masonic Cancer Center