Targeting Tumors: Challenges of Antibody-Drug Conjugates

Treating cancer requires aggressive but targeted therapy. Some cancer drugs are too toxic because they damage healthy cells as well as tumor cells. So researchers are trying to develop ways to make sure drugs only target the right cells.

One solution is to attach drugs to antibodies specific to a protein expressed on tumor cells. These drugs are called antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

More than two dozen ADCs are currently being used in the clinic to treat diseases like Hodgkin's lymphoma and breast cancer, and researchers are developing many more. But it's taken decades to find the right combination of drug, antibody target and linker, and then make sure the right amount of ADC hits the tumor.