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Lavinia Woodward: Next-Generation Drug Conjugates – Potential Beyond Oncology

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Nov 7, 2024, 16:00

Lavinia Woodward: Next-Generation Drug Conjugates – Potential Beyond Oncology

Lavinia Woodward, Senior Product Development Producer at Beacon, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Next-Generation Drug Conjugates: Potential Beyond Oncology

Recent advances in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in oncology have catalysed innovation in bioconjugate design. Driven by the need for more targeted approaches in the treatment of chronic conditions, these technologies are being explored for disease beyond cancer.

This evolution has sparked creative solutions in conjugate development:

Next-Generation Payloads:

Oligonucleotides
Immune agonists
Nanoparticles
Protein degraders

Advanced Conjugate Formats:

Bispecific antibodies
Antibody fragments
Small molecule ligands
Peptides

The shift toward next-generation conjugates reflects strategic efforts to address key therapeutic challenges. These novel formats offer potential advantages in tissue selectivity and penetration, while their design aims to reduce both off-target effects and immunogenicity – critical factors for treating chronic, non-oncology conditions.

Developing conjugates for non-oncology indications presents unique challenges, particularly around long-term dosing requirements and the need for enhanced safety profiles in chronic disease settings.

For one, predictable pharmacokinetics is crucial, which necessitates specialised linker technologies that can maintain stability in circulation while enabling efficient payload release at the target site. These considerations are driving innovation in both conjugate design and payload selection.

Below is an analysis of the current non-oncology novel drug conjugate landscape, based on Beacon ADC data.”

Lavinia Woodward: Next-Generation Drug Conjugates - Potential Beyond Oncology

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Lavinia Woodward is a Senior Product Development Producer at Beacon, where she leads the creation of data intelligence tools designed to expedite market entry for complex therapeutics. Previously, she worked as a Startup Consultant for SqRoots Ltd. and served as a Business Development Manager at 8 Outdoor Media.