Panel discussion: ADC bioanalytics

What will you learn?

• The techniques currently being used to assess total antibody vs conjugated ADCs
• The PK and ADA assays being requested by sponsors and their benefits
• The challenges associated with ADC bioanalysis and methods for overcoming them
• How ADC bioanalysis is predicted to evolve in the next 5 years

Who may this interest?

• Bioanalytical scientists involved in developing and validating ADC assays
• Individuals working in Pharma/Biotech on ADC projects
• Oncology researchers interested in ADC-based cancer treatments

Speakers

Ashley Brant
Vice President, Bioanalytical Services
ICON

Ashley Brant is a seasoned leader in the bioanalytical industry with over 25 years of experience in driving process improvements that enhance productivity and ensure regulatory compliance across both large and small molecule bioanalytical streams.

Ashley’s career began after earning her biochemistry degree from Eastern Michigan University, performing EGFR receptor research with Elizabeth Butch. She then joined Parke-Davis/Warner-Lambert. There, she assessed molecular biological interactions to evaluate the mechanisms of action and safety risks for early drug candidates. This role led her into the biomarker quantitation field and to mastering LC–MS/MS, integrating it with traditional ligand-binding assay methods.

At Pfizer (NY, USA), Ashley expanded her expertise in regulated bioanalysis, developing methods specializing in ligand binding, antibody capture, endogenous molecules, and hybrid platforms, all while adapting to the evolving fast throughput demands of drug development.

She later pursued graduate education at the University of Michigan (MI, USA) in the Hakansson lab and transitioned to consulting, honing her skills further in bioanalysis. Over the past 15 years, Ashley has led bioanalytical teams within contract research organizations, overseeing diverse areas such as mass spectrometry, ligand-binding assays, cell-based assays, flow cytometry, immunogenicity and more.

Rachel Foreman,
Senior Scientist, Drug Discovery Bioanalysis Group
AstraZeneca (Cambridge, UK)

Rachel is a Senior Scientist in the Discovery Bioanalysis Group at AstraZeneca, specializing in targeted LC–MS/MS assays for early drug compounds and biomarker measurement. She works in collaboration with numerous teams to support the growing in vitro platform for safety assessments of novel oncology treatments.

Before this role, Rachel completed her PhD in Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge (UK), where she developed bioanalytical methods to identify and quantitate novel peptide biomarkers for metabolism. It was during this research that Rachel learned the importance of optimizing methods to improve assay detection limits and the potential benefits of using in vitro models for understanding diseases and therapeutic treatment.