Antibody–drug conjugate

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are a class of biopharmaceutical drugs designed as a targeted therapy for treating patients with cancer. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which can affect both healthy and cancerous cells, ADCs are intended to target and kill only the cancer cells.

Overview

ADCs are complex molecules composed of an antibody linked to a biologically active drug or cytotoxic compound. The antibody binds to specific cell surface proteins or receptors that are overexpressed on cancer cells, delivering the cytotoxic drug specifically to the cells of interest.

Components

Antibody

The antibody component of an ADC is designed to be specific for a protein that is overexpressed on the surface of the cancer cell. This specificity is what allows the ADC to target only the cancer cells, sparing healthy cells.

Drug

The drug component of an ADC is a cytotoxic compound that is designed to kill the cancer cell once the ADC has bound to the cell surface protein. The drug is typically a potent cytotoxic agent that would be too toxic to administer on its own.

Linker

The linker component of an ADC connects the antibody to the drug. The design of the linker is critical to the function of the ADC, as it must be stable enough to keep the drug attached to the antibody in the bloodstream, but also able to release the drug once the ADC has bound to the cancer cell.

Mechanism of action

The ADC binds to the overexpressed protein on the surface of the cancer cell, and is then internalized into the cell. Once inside the cell, the cytotoxic drug is released from the ADC, leading to the death of the cancer cell.

Clinical use

Several ADCs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of various types of cancer, including breast cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia. Many more are in various stages of clinical development.

See also

• Monoclonal antibody
• Targeted therapy
• Cancer treatment