Antibody-drug conjugates: linking cytotoxic payloads to monoclonal antibodies

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with the potency of cytotoxic molecules, thereby taking advantage of the best characteristics of both components. Along with the development of the mAbs and cytotoxins, the design of chemical linkers to covalently bind these building blocks is making rapid progress but remains challenging. Recent advances have resulted in linkers having increased stability in the bloodstream while allowing efficient payload release within the tumor cell.