Recent Advances in Site Specific Conjugations of Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs)

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) take the advantage of antigen specificity of monoclonal antibodies to deliver highly potent cytotoxic drugs selectively to antigen-expressing tumor cells. The recent approval of Adcetris™ and Kadcyla™ as well as emerging data from numerous ongoing clinical trials underscore the role of ADCs as a new therapeutic option for cancer patients. However, conventional conjugation methods generally result in a heterogeneous mixture of ADCs, which can result in significant therapeutic liabilities and can lead to complicated manufacturing processes. The increased understanding from the clinical investigation of current ADCs and site-specific bioconjugation technologies has enabled scientists to accelerate the discovery and development of the next generation ADCs with defined and homogeneous composition. The present manuscript reviews the recent advances and trends in the research and development of novel ADCs obtained by site-specific conjugation method.