Linkers unleashed: optimizing stability, release, and selectivity in conjugate design

Wednesday 08:00 PDT / 11:00 EDT / 16:00 BST / 17:00 CEST

Sponsor

Linkers unleashed: optimizing stability, release, and selectivity in conjugate design

Linker design sits at the heart of bioconjugate performance. The choice between cleavable and non-cleavable architectures, and between pH-sensitive, enzyme-responsive, and other release mechanisms, directly determines pharmacokinetics, DAR, and the extent of bystander activity. Getting these decisions right is critical across ADCs and the broader bioconjugate landscape.

This expert panel brings together specialists from across the field to examine how linker strategies differ and converge across modalities, and what the latest thinking reveals about optimizing stability, controlled release, and target selectivity.

Attend this webinar to:

Understand the functional trade-offs between cleavable and non-cleavable linkers and how release mechanism selection affects payload delivery and therapeutic window
Explore how pH-sensitive and enzyme-responsive linker strategies improve selectivity and control release kinetics in the tumor microenvironment
Learn how bystander effect considerations should inform linker selection for heterogeneous tumor targets across conjugate modalities
Hear expert perspectives on how bystander effect considerations factor into linker selection and the implications for efficacy and safety across different tumor microenvironments

Michael Lukesch

Founder and CEO at VALANX Biotech

Michael Lukesch is the Founder and CEO of VALANX Biotech, a Vienna-based biotechnology company developing GoldenSite™ next-generation protein conjugation technology. With a background in chemistry and biotechnology, he combines scientific expertise with an entrepreneurial mindset to advance practical solutions for modern drug development.

Brian A. Mendelsohn

Independent Consultant and Antibody Conjugate Expert

Brian A. Mendelsohn, ADC veteran and industry consultant, is an accomplished researcher in the field of antibody-drug conjugates. Brian started exploring ADCs in 2000 with Seattle Genetics, where he first synthesized the MMAE and MMAF payloads. Working across drug development from discovery to manufacturing, he developed novel ADCs, ADC linker-payloads, and conjugation technologies at Agensys, Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services, and Exelixis. Brian has published more than 40 scientific manuscripts and received accolades for contributions to the field: Heroes of Chemistry by the American Chemical Society for developing Adcetris^® in 2018, and the George R Pettit Individual Input to the Field for 2023 at the World ADC Awards.

Gantumur Battogtokh, PhD

Research Scientist, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Howard University

Gantumur Battogtokh is a Research Scientist within the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Howard University. He obtained his Bachelor and Master degrees in Organic Chemistry from National University of Mongolia and his PhD in Biomedical Science from the School of Medicine at the Catholic University of Korea. His research focuses on developing novel targeted drug delivery systems and bioconjugates for diseases such as cancer using polymer synthesis and bioconjugation chemistries, as well as their biological evaluations. He has over a decade of experience in this field, with over 30 publications and around 10 patent applications, both in the industry and academia.