Regeneron Trap technology

The novel Regeneron Trap technology creates circulating “decoy receptors.”

The decoy receptor molecule combines two distinct receptor components and a portion of an antibody molecule called the "Fc" or "constant" region. The receptor domains recreate the high-affinity binding of the natural receptor for the signaling protein, while the Fc portion provides stability and improved pharmacokinetics for the novel molecule. This novel combination results in a new generation of blockers that trap the signaling molecules that bind to those decoy receptor domains, preventing them from binding to the natural receptors and reducing or eliminating the harmful effects of the signaling protein.

Regeneron applied its proprietary Trap technology to create rilonacept (IL-1 Trap) and aflibercept (VEGF Trap). We developed the Trap technology at a time when we were dissatisfied with the specificity and binding affinity of human antibodies that could be developed using the then most-advanced antibody technologies. More recently, we developed our own human antibody technology to rectify the limitations of other approaches.