February 26, 2026 Off

The ADC arms race: payload power vs targeting precision

By Dino Mustafić

Over the past decade, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have emerged as a high-impact class of cancer therapies, blending the selectivity of antibodies with the potency of cytotoxic payloads. But as the modality matures, a structural tension is becoming clear: should innovation focus on chemical escalation of payloads and linkers, or on biological precision of target engagement?