(402) CD44-Targeted Antibody-Drug Conjugates with Cathepsin B-Cleavable Linker for Ovarian Cancer Therapy

Ovarian cancer (OC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death among women, despite of advancement in cancer treatment. Current OC therapy often faces recurrence and resistance, due to presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) (1).Targeting CSC biomarkers like CD44, having crucial role in OC recurrence and resistance, is important for improving therapeutic outcomes (2). In this study we developed a CD44-targeted ADC using doxorubicin (DOX), anti-CD44 monoclonal antibody, and a cathepsin B cleavable linker (MC-VC-PAB-PNP), to enhance drug delivery within the tumor microenvironment.