USC's Method with ADCs

A team at University of Southern California has engineered a faster way to effectively target malignant cells without damaging healthy tissue, which can help improve treatments for many different types of cancer. Current ADCs (antibody-drug conjugates) are made using a process with limited stability and efficacy. Homogeneous ADCs have a higher potential for clinical effectiveness, but still require long reaction times or multiple steps as well as trigger immune responses that can inhibit their functions. USC's potential solutions can allow homogeneous ADCs to use a single-step reaction in less than two hours compared to current processes. Their technology consists of a ‘linker’ recognized by a human enzyme that is able to “catalyze the conjugation of drug molecules to the antibodies at a defined position” according to USC’s assistant professor Yong (Tiger) Zhang. They have claimed that their method has a more safe and quick release of drugs into targeted cells. Read about it here