ADC Development: Early On- and Off-Target Testing to Fail Fast, Upcoming Webinar Hosted by Xtalks

In this free webinar, learn why antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) programs benefit from a "fail faster" approach to reduce late-stage attrition and accelerate development. Attendees will gain insight into how early in vitro testing helps identify both on-target efficacy and off-target toxicity risks. The featured speakers will discuss how tumoroid models offer more physiologically relevant insights into ADC activity across diverse tumor types. Attendees will also explore how hematopoietic assays can predict off-target effects like myelosuppression and neutropenia.

TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) remain one of the most promising yet complex therapeutic modalities in oncology. ADCs were designed to combine the specificity of antibody targets with the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents, resulting in an expected higher specificity and lower toxicity. Despite significant innovation, the path to successful ADC development is fraught with risk, from high upfront investment to limited clinical success rates, as most ADCs fail due to toxicities that limit the therapeutic window. With the right strategies and tools, however, it's possible to "fail faster" and smarter — focusing resources on the most viable candidates.

This webinar explores key challenges in ADC development and the latest advances helping researchers overcome them. The tumor-specific antibody, linker and payload each play a pivotal role not only in efficacy but also in determining safety and specificity. For a number of tumor-specific antibodies, the target is limited to diseased cells. Using tumoroid models, known to express the appropriate targets, we demonstrate how ADCs can effectively deliver on-target cytotoxicity in a complex, 3D tumor model.

Successful ADCs must achieve potent on-target cytotoxicity while minimizing off-target effects on healthy cells. Off-target toxicities to normal hematopoietic cells are the most frequently reported adverse events associated with ADCs. These off-target effects can be caused when normal cells express the ADC target. However, the unforeseen and unexpected off-target toxicities to the hematopoietic compartment, with targets not expressed on hematopoietic cells, suggest that linker stability and the highly potent payloads may play the most significant role in off-target toxicity. The featured speakers will also discuss in vitro assays to quickly evaluate these components and demonstrate how linker stability and payload selection contribute to these adverse outcomes.

Register for this webinar to gain practical strategies for advancing ADC development with confidence, whether you're new to ADCs or optimizing your next therapeutic candidate.

Join experts from Discovery Life Sciences, Dr. Emer Clarke, VP Cell Biology; and Dr. Shawn Fahl, VP Lab Operations, Cell Services & R&D, Biospecimens, for the live webinar on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 1:30pm EDT (10:30am PDT).

For more information, or to register for this event, visit ADC Development: Early On- and Off-Target Testing to Fail Fast.

ABOUT DISCOVERY LIFE SCIENCES

Discovery Life Sciences is a global leader in biospecimens and specialty lab services, enabling the discovery and development of groundbreaking therapeutics and diagnostics. With a robust portfolio of human biospecimens and cellular starting material, preclinical ADME-tox solutions, and cutting-edge specialty lab services, we provide our partners with the tools, data and expertise they need to succeed. From genomics and proteomics to cell biology and molecular pathology, our comprehensive service offerings support every phase of the scientific journey, from research through clinical trials. Visit www.dls.com for more information.

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