Today (4 Feb) is World Cancer Day. Analysts estimate that there will be 30.5 million new cancer cases diagnosed yearly by 2050, with a projected 18.6 million annual deaths. However, our ability to use medicines to target more effectively is improving, and antibody–drug conjugates are an increasingly effective tool in combating cancers. This graphic explains what they are, how they work, and how they might improve in the future.
This graphic was funded by a grant from the British Society for the History of Science.
References and further reading
- Rise of antibody–drug Conjugates: the present and future – Mythili Shastry, Avantika Gupta, Sarat Chandarlapaty, Matthew Young, Thomas Powles, and Erika Hamilton, American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book
- Antibody drug conjugate: the “biological missile” for targeted cancer therapy – Zhiwen Fu, Shijun Li, Sifei Han, Chen Shi & Yu Zhang, Nature, Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy
- Exploring the next generation of antibody–drug conjugates – Kyoji Tsuchikama, Yasuaki Anami, Summer Y. Y. Ha & Chisato M. Yamazaki, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology
- Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Cancer Therapy – Eric L Sievers & Peter D Senter, Annual Review of Medicine
