Antibody-based therapeutics are a central driver of the success of biopharmaceuticals. The discovery technology of this field is isolated to a limited number of centers of excellence in industry and academia. The objective of this volume is to provide a series of guides to those evaluating and preparing to enter particular areas within the field. Each chapter is written with a historical perspective that sets into context the significance of the key developments, and with the provision of “points to consider” for the reader as a value-added feature of the volume. All contributors are experts in their fields and have played pivotal roles in the creation of the technology.

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

The field of antibody engineering has become a vital and integral part of making new, improved next generation therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, of which there are currently more than 300 in clinical trials across several therapeutic areas. Therapeutic antibody engineering examines all aspects of engineering monoclonal antibodies and analyses the effect that various genetic engineering approaches will have on future candidates. Chapters in the first part of the book provide an introduction to monoclonal antibodies, their discovery and development and the fundamental technologies used in their production. Following chapters cover a number of specific issues relating to different aspects of antibody engineering, including variable chain engineering, targets and mechanisms of action, classes of antibody and the use of antibody fragments, among many other topics. The last part of the book examines development issues, the interaction of human IgGs with non-human systems, and cell line development, before a conclusion looking at future issues affecting the field of therapeutic antibody engineering. - Goes beyond the standard engineering issues covered by most books and delves into structure-function relationships - Integration of knowledge across all areas of antibody engineering, development, and marketing - Discusses how current and future genetic engineering of cell lines will pave the way for much higher productivity

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 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.

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.

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.