Antibody–Drug Conjugates: Pharmacotherapeutic Properties and Future Perspectives
Beyond the current oncology-centric paradigm, this review highlights the imminent pivot toward non-oncology applications, including targeted therapies for autoimmune, infectious, and neurodegenerative diseases. Importantly, this article highlights emerging innovations shaping the next generation of ADCs, including bispecific antibodies, novel cytotoxic payloads with improved therapeutic indices, and advanced linker technologies enabling more precise payload release. Despite current limitations, ongoing advances in ADC development, along with a rapidly expanding clinical pipeline, position these drugs in a dynamic therapeutic class with the potential to transform multiple complex diseases and improve the quality of life of patients who have them.
Authors
- Maria L. S. Cristiano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9447-2855)
- Jaime Conceição (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6201-3662)
- André Augusto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7676-4774)
Institutions
- Algarve Biomedical Center (PT)
- University of Algarve (PT)
- University of Coimbra (PT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Pharmaceutics
- Published
- 2026-04-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics18040468
- Primary Topic
- HER2/EGFR in Cancer Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00