Providing practical and proven solutions for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) drug discovery success in oncology, this book helps readers improve the drug safety and therapeutic efficacy of ADCs to kill targeted tumor cells. • Discusses the basics, drug delivery strategies, pharmacology and toxicology, and regulatory approval strategies • Covers the conduct and design of oncology clinical trials and the use of ADCs for tumor imaging • Includes case studies of ADCs in oncology drug development • Features contributions from highly-regarded experts on the frontlines of ADC research and development

This authoritative volume provides a holistic picture of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Fourteen comprehensive chapters are divided into six sections including an introduction to ADCs, the ADC construct, development issues, landscape, IP and pharmacoeconomics, case studies, and the future of the field. The book examines everything from the selection of the antibody, the drug, and the linker to a discussion of developmental issues such as formulations, bio-analysis, pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships, and toxicological and regulatory challenges. It also explores pharmacoecomonics and intellectual properties, including recently issued patents and the cost analysis of drug therapy. Case studies are presented for the three ADCs that have received FDA approval: gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg®), Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris®), and ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla®), as well as an ADC in late-stage clinical trials, glembatumumab vedotin (CDX-011). Finally, the volume presents a perspective by the editors on the future directions of ADC development and clinical applications. Antibody-Drug Conjugates is a practical and systematic resource for scientists, professors, and students interested in expanding their knowledge of cutting-edge research in this exciting field.

The covalent conjugation of potent cytotoxic agents to monoclonal antibodies, known as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) is a powerful approach in the field of targeted treatment of cancer. Clearly, both monoclonal antibody and cytotoxic payload are crucial elements in determining the clinical value of an ADC and have receive ample attention. However, the structural element connecting the two –the chemical linker– also plays an essential role in mode-of-action, efficacy, pharmacokinetics and safety profile of an ADC, but is often underappreciated in considerations of ADC design. Chemical Linkers in Antibody–Drug Conjugates aims to shine a detailed light on the various key attributes of chemical linkers in ADCs, for drug-to-antibody ratio, for stability, for release mechanism of payload, for pharmacokinetics, for stability determination, and for efficacy and safety. Ideal for postgraduate students and active researchers in drug discovery and development, this book provides a comprehensive description of linkers used in ADCs (clinical and late preclinical), insight into key quality attributes of linkers for ADCs, and aids the reader in understanding the role of linker chemistry and designing new ADCs.

This volume gathers the leading research on antibody-drug conjugates and immunotoxins. Following a rigorous overview, the volume delves into focused sections on all aspects of ADCs and ITs from clinical development through to targeted therapeutic applications and the latest technologies.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) stand at the verge of a transformation. Scores of clinical programs have yielded only a few regulatory approvals, but a wave of technological innovation now empowers us to overcome past technical challenges. This volume focuses on the next generation of ADCs and the innovations that will enable them. The book inspires the future by integrating the field’s history with novel strategies and cutting-edge technologies. While the book primarily addresses ADCs for solid tumors, the last chapter explores the emerging interest in using ADCs to treat other diseases. The therapeutic rationale of ADCs is strong: to direct small molecules to the desired site of action (and away from normal tissues) by conjugation to antibodies or other targeting moieties. However, the combination of small and large molecules imposes deep complexity to lead optimization, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, analytics and manufacturing. The field has made significant advances in all of these areas by improving target selection, ADC design, manufacturing methods and clinical strategies. These innovations will inspire and educate scientists who are designing next-generation ADCs with the potential to transform the lives of patients.

This book summarizes the related research achievements in Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and their cell metabolism kinetics. The book has three main parts. The first part describes the basic theory of ADCs, including the basic concept and structure of ADCs, and the relationship between the targets of ADCs and their specific functions. The second part mainly introduces the endocytosis and intracellular metabolism of ADCs, including the relationship between endocytosis and ADC activity, the endocytosis and intracellular transport of ADCs, the distribution and metabolism of ADC in vivo. Then it discusses the new formats and research technology of ADCs, including the application of miniaturized antibodies in ADC synthesis, novel carriers for ADC design, the technology and application of site-specific conjugation, and approaches for analyzing the drug: antibody ratio (DAR), the study of pharmacokinetics of ADCs. This book combines the basic theory with the research technology. It can be used as a reference book for students, teachers and researchers of biomedical field.

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) represent one of the most promising and exciting areas of anticancer drug discovery. Five ADCs are now approved in the US and EU [i.e., ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla™), brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris™), inotuzumab ozogamicin (Besponsa™), gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg™) and moxetumomab pasudotox-tdfk (Lumoxiti®)] and over 70 others are in various stages of clinical development, with impressive interim results being reported for many. The technology is based on the concept of delivering a cytotoxic payload selectively to cancer cells by attaching it to an antibody targeted to antigens on the cell surfaces. This approach has several advantages including the ability to select patients as likely responders based on the presence of antigen on the surface of their cancer cells and a wider therapeutic index, given that ADC targeting enables a more efficient delivery of cytotoxic agents to cancer cells than can be achieved by conventional chemotherapy, thus minimising systemic toxicity. Although there are many examples of antibodies that have been developed for this purpose, along with numerous linker technologies used to attach the cytotoxic agent to the antibody, there is presently a relatively small number of payload molecules in clinical use. The purpose of this book is to describe the variety of payloads used to date, along with a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages and to provide information on novel payloads at the research stage that may be used clinically in the future.

This book describes the newest developments in antibody drug conjugates and immunotoxins, paving their way to clinical application. Lessons learned from the current state of the art are used to further improve our understanding of their mechanisms of action and off target activities. The book introduces scientists to all of the prerequisites that must be properly addressed, including identification of the right target, specific traits of target binding antibodies, proper selection of the toxic payload, internalization induced by binding, and next generation conjugation and linker technologies. These knowledge-based, revolutionary new drug principles will form the cornerstone of the future standard of care and will lead to major advances in application, as well as improved quality of life and patient survival rates. This book will be of interest to biotech companies and researchers working in the fields of immunology, pharmacology, and oncology.

Polymer-Drug Conjugates: Linker Chemistry, Protocols and Applications discusses important concepts, fundamentals and prospective applications of 'Linker Chemistry' in a clear-and-concise manner. The book provides vital information on chemical entities binding with the drug-polymer complex for targeted drug delivery systems. It highlights roles and significance, different classes and synthetic protocols as well as mechanisms of chemical bond formation in drug-polymer conjugation in drug delivery, also offering insights into the mechanism of polymer interaction with linker and drug molecules by biodegradable chemical bonding. The protocol of binding with drug molecules is clearly explained and justified with case studies, helping researchers and advanced students in the pharmaceutical sciences understand fundamentals involved and related aspects in molecule designing for effective therapeutic benefits. - Covers mechanism, protocol and therapeutic significance of Polymer-Drug Conjugates - Outlines updated methods and techniques to enumerate conjugation with related case studies - Includes comprehensive compilation of marketed and clinical trial drugs conjugated with polymers or linkers

Overcoming Obstacles in Drug Discovery and Development uses real-world case studies to illustrate how critical thinking and problem solving skills are applied in the discovery and development of drugs. It also shows how developing critical thinking to overcome issues plays an essential role in the process. Modern drug discovery and development is a highly complex undertaking that requires scientific and professional expertise to be successful. After the identification of a molecular entity for treating a medical condition, challenges inevitably arise during the subsequent development to understand and characterize the biological profile; feedback from scientists is used to fine-tune the molecular entity to obtain an effective and safe product. In this process, the discovery team may identify unexpected safety issues and new medical disorders for treatment by the molecular entity. Invariably inherent in this complex undertaking are miscues, mistakes, and unexpected problems that can derail development and throw timetables into disarray, potentially leading to failure in the development of a medically useful drug. Addressing critical unexpected problems during development often requires scientists to utilize critical thinking and imaginative problem-solving skills. Overcoming Obstacles in Drug Discovery and Development will be essential to young scientists to help learn the skills to successfully face challenges, learn from mistakes, and further develop critical thinking skills. It will also be beneficial to experienced researchers who can learn from the case studies of successful and unsuccessful drug development. - Provides real-world case studies in drug discovery and the development of drugs - Illustrates the use of critical thinking and problem solving in approaching preclinical and clinical problems in drug discovery and development - Illustrates and analyses examples of successes and failures in drug discovery and development that have not previously been reported