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Implementation of In Vitro Drug Resistance Assays: Maximizing the Potential for Uncovering Clinically Relevant Resistance Mechanisms
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Resistance to antibody-drug conjugates: A review

Sijia Li1, Xinyu Zhao1, Kai Fu1

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China.

Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica. B
|April 3, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) offer targeted cancer therapy but face resistance. This review explores ADC mechanisms, resistance, and strategies to enhance their efficacy in oncology.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a rapidly growing class of targeted antitumor therapies.
  • ADCs utilize monoclonal antibodies to deliver cytotoxic payloads specifically to tumor cells, improving efficacy and reducing side effects.
  • Despite clinical success, ADC resistance remains a significant challenge in cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the structure, mechanism, and development of ADCs.
  • To summarize current research on ADC resistance mechanisms.
  • To discuss strategies for overcoming ADC resistance and identify predictive biomarkers.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of ADC development and resistance.
  • Analysis of mechanisms underlying ADC resistance.
  • Exploration of strategies to overcome resistance and potential biomarkers.

Main Results:

  • ADCs demonstrate promising antitumor activity through targeted drug delivery.
  • Drug resistance is a major limitation to the clinical efficacy of ADCs.
  • Various strategies are being investigated to overcome ADC resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding ADC resistance mechanisms is crucial for improving therapeutic outcomes.
  • Developing strategies to overcome resistance and identifying biomarkers will advance ADC development.
  • ADCs hold significant potential for future oncology drug development.
Keywords:
Antibody–drug conjugatesCancerCombination therapyCytotoxic therapyDrug resistanceOncotherapyPredictive biomarkerTargeted therapy

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