Antibody-Drug Conjugates: Fundamentals, Drug Development, and Clinical Outcomes to Target Cancer

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a type of targeted therapy, used most notably for cancer, and consist of an antibody (or antibody fragment) linked to a payload drug which is often cytotoxic. Because of the targeting, the side effects should be lower and give a wider therapeutic window. By combining the unique targeting of antibodies with the cancer-killing ability of cytotoxic drugs, ADCs allow sensitive discrimination between healthy and diseased tissue - leading to widespread enthusiasm in the oncology drug development community.