The antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) sector is experiencing unprecedented momentum, with the 15th World ADC San Diego conference positioning itself as the industry's definitive forum for advancing this transformative oncology platform. Scheduled for November 4-7, 2024, in San Diego, California, the event brings together the world's largest gathering of ADC professionals to address critical development challenges across the therapeutic pipeline.
Industry Momentum Drives Conference Growth
The ADC field has gained unrivaled attention across the biopharma sector, fueled by several landmark achievements. Enhertu's tumor-agnostic accelerated approval has demonstrated the broad therapeutic potential of ADCs, while practice-changing combination results from Seagen and Astellas' PADCEV have validated the platform's clinical utility. These successes have catalyzed a frenzy of companies entering the field, alongside billion-dollar partnerships and mergers and acquisitions from industry leaders including Pfizer, AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Genmab, and Ipsen.
The conference reflects this industry transformation, having evolved from previous years to accommodate growing interest. The 2023 iteration noted significant milestones including the approval of ELAHERE for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, Pfizer's $43 billion acquisition of Seagen, and Bristol Myers Squibb's $1 billion partnership with Tubulis.
Comprehensive Development Framework
The 2024 conference features six end-to-end development content tracks designed to maximize the therapeutic window of ADCs. The Discovery track focuses on cutting-edge developments in ADC payloads, linkers, and site-specific conjugation technologies, with presentations from Heidelberg Pharma, Sutro Biopharma, and ADC Therapeutics addressing the latest innovations in ADC design and chemistry.
The Cellular Biology track explores novel ADC target discovery and antibody engineering approaches, featuring insights from Innovent Biologics, Oxford BioTherapeutics, and SOTIO Biotech on elevating ADC development for novel therapeutic applications.
Translational and Clinical Advances
The Translational track addresses critical aspects of ADC safety and efficacy characterization, with experts from Daiichi Sankyo, AstraZeneca, and Genentech presenting strategies to minimize translational mismatch and accelerate successful ADC progression into clinical trials. The Clinical track provides access to brand-new early and late-stage clinical data, with presentations from AbbVie, Ipsen, and Mythic Therapeutics exploring dose escalation strategies and clinical performance optimization.
Manufacturing and Development Challenges
Recognizing the complexity of ADC production, the conference dedicates significant attention to process development and manufacturing. The Process & Analytical Development track features presentations from Mersana Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb, and GlaxoSmithKline on analytical characterization of drug-antibody ratio (DAR) and impurities, alongside drug-linker and conjugation process optimization strategies.
The Manufacturing & Supply Chain track addresses critical aspects of ADC production scaling, with experts from Exelixis, Merck, and Pfizer presenting on manufacturing risk management, contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) partner selection, and regulatory chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) strategies under accelerated development timelines.
Strategic Industry Positioning
ADCs have firmly positioned themselves at the forefront of oncology R&D and dealmaking, representing a paradigm shift in cancer treatment approaches. The conference serves as a critical networking and knowledge-sharing platform for both newcomers to the ADC space and experienced practitioners, providing insights and connections necessary to overcome development challenges and advance therapeutic applications.
The event includes an eight-tracked seminar day and ten specialized workshops, reflecting the comprehensive nature of ADC development challenges and the industry's commitment to advancing this therapeutic modality toward front-line cancer treatments.
