Valuable lessons learned from both approved antibody-drug conjugates (brentuximab vedotin /Adcetris®; Seattle Genetics approved in 2011 and ado-trastuzumab emtansine or T-DM-1/Kadcyla® approved in 2013) as well as novel investigational compounds in ongoing clinical trials, have helped scientists, researchers and clinicians to better understand the mechanisms of action of antibody-drug conjugates. These lessons have also helped them to find new ways in overcoming the challenges of poor internalization, tumor non-specificity, off-target toxicity, lack of efficacy, low expression levels and multi-drug resistance.
Much work is being done in developing innovate next generation antibody-drug conjugates by improving target selection, finding new cytotoxic drugs as payload, engineering antibodies or discovering alternative effector moieties to increase half-lives, improve target specificity and improve and optimize linker-payload chemistry.
As an online-only, hybrid open-access, peer reviewed journal designed to serve the needs of a diverse community of individuals including academia, life sciences, pharma, (basic, translational and clinical) research, clinicians/physicians, along with regulatory affairs, government authorities and representatives from payers, and policy makers, we strive to offer a the latest information related to antibody-drug conjugates by publishing news and news features, editorials/Op-Eds, as well as peer reviewed research, commentaries, discussions and blogs on topics relevant to a broad and international readership. Some of this information focuses on (early) preclinical drug development and clinical development. But we also cover articles discussing upstream and downstream processing, characterization and analytics, regulatory affairs, insurance, reimbursement policies, etc.
Planning ahead for 2017
With the fall medical and scientific meetings in full swing and 2017 only two months away, we’re looking ahead to 2017. Each year, as part of our editorial process, we’re looking at the ‘big topics’ for the next 12 months. Some of our planning is dictated by the medical and scientific meetings* and as a media partner of some of the most influential conferences and symposia in the industry, we will cover the news and late breaking updates presented during these meetings. Some is dictated by industry and clinical breakthroughs. And some of our coverage is dictated by business transactions and decisions made by regulatory bodies.
But there is more. Our editorial calendar also depends on you! Our planning starts with the development of a comprehensive editorial calendar. Being a continuously published (online) journal, we then look for the specific, relevant, topics guiding our coverage. As part of this process, we’re inviting subject-matter experts and Key Opinion Leaders/KOLs to contribute. And this is where you come in.
Contributions
Being a subject-matter expert or KOL, we welcome your manuscripts for peer-review. Generally, articles can be a data-driven novel research, a clinical/therapeutic review, a science-based opinion/Op-Ed, an academic or scientific review, a technical discussion, application note or case study, a policy/legal or regulatory overview/discussion, etc. Each manuscript, submitted for peer-review to our independent editorial review board, needs to be original, properly referenced and offer timely information focusing on antibody-drug conjugates, targeted therapies and precision/personal medicine suitable for our (experienced) readers.**
In addition to manuscripts for peer review, we invite you – as a contributor – to develop and submit news articles and news features and recommend subjects for the ADC University and video projects.
An Exciting Time
With a new wave of dealmaking, scientific developments and medical breakthroughs, this is an exciting time for anyone involved with antibody-drug conjugate.
Industry-wide there are 60 antibody-drug conjugates in clinical development. Today 40 of these investigational compounds are in phase I trials, 16 in phase II and 4 phase III. Currently, there are two licensed ADCs on the market. Many of the ADCs in phase I trials are not identifying a target disease, but are broadly recruiting for solid tumors. With more than 10 ADCs, breast and lung cancer are common diseases for ADCs. Of the 30 different targets for solid tumors 11 target breast cancer and 9 lung cancer.
With more ADCs moving into later-stage clinical trials in 2017 and other trials coming to a close, we’re eagerly anticipating intermin data as well as mature data from pivotal trials with ADCs in both solid tumors and hematological cancers. But we’re also looking for the latest (early) pre-clinical data. Data you develop as part of your early pre-clinical studies, your characterization or analysis of novel ADCs, your work in the clinical, etc.
Questions to Ask – Answers that Matter
So, what are the lessons we have learned. And, how are the lessons from currently approved and marketed antibody-drug conjugates as well as novel investigational compounds in ongoing clinical trials helping scientists, researchers and clinicians to overcome setbacks previously experienced? How do initiatives like the Cancer Moonshot impact research? How do the regulators look at novel ADC-construcs with new payloads and linkers, and outcomes from combination therapies? What about characterization, analytics, environmental risk assessments, upstream and downstream (manufacturing) issues, single-use technologies, containment, reimbursement and insurance? And… how do research outcomes translate to success in the clinic and benefit patients with unmet medical needs?
With a scientific and technological revolutions driving the many advances and radical new opportunities in the treatment of patients with cancer and hematological diseases, novel treatment options, including solutions for currently unmet medically needs, are opening up new possibilities for meeting the challenge.
And that’s why you are important.
We’re eagerly anticipating your contributions!
* For an overview of meetings covered by our editors, please visit our Event and Meeting page.
** See our editorial (submission) guidelines.
