Challenges in antibody–drug conjugate discovery: a bioconjugation and analytical perspective

“...the mode of attachment of the payload linker to the antibody must have a perfect fit for its success.” With the approval of Adcetris to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma and Kadcyla to treat Her2 positive advanced breast cancer, antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) are fast becoming a well-proven strategy to treat cancer. For successful development of ADCs, several parameters at early stages in research need careful examination. The scope of this editorial is to examine the detailed physicochemical characterization in early discovery phase processes of ADC generation. In particular, here we describe and discuss analytical assays that test the stability of the antibody,...