ImmunoGen has established leadership in the field of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), with the most clinical publications on the most ADC compounds by the most companies across a range of cancers.

	ADC compounds made with our TAP technology have three key components:
		The cell-killing agent;
		the linker that holds it onto the antibody; and
		and the tumor-targeting antibody.

Our Cell-Killing Agents

Our cancer-cell killing agents (CKAs) are 1,000- to 10,000-fold more potent than traditional chemotherapy drugs. We developed them specifically for attachment to antibodies for targeted delivery to cancer cells.

The CKAs used in the TAP compounds in clinical testing act by interfering with tubulin and kill cancer cells when they attempt to undergo cell division. We continue to expand our portfolio of CKAs to further extend the utility of our technology, and unveiled our IGN family of DNA-acting agents at a scientific conference last year.

The Linker

Our linkers serve to keep our CKAs attached to the antibody until the TAP compound has entered a cancer cell. They then control the release of the CKA to kill the cancer cell.

Just as different cancers respond better to some drugs than others, we have found that different linkers work better for some cancers than others. Therefore, we have developed a portfolio of linkers to enable us, and our partners, to achieve the best product design for the cancer target. Our modular approach - separate linkers and CKAs - enables rapidly evaluation of different product designs.

We continue to expand our linker portfolio, and recently unveiled linkers that extend the utility of our TAP technology for cancers with multi-drug resistance.

The Antibody

Each TAP compound contains an antibody that binds specifically to an antigen found on cancer cells. Each different TAP compound contains a different antibody, enabling different cancers to be targeted. For example, T-DM1, IMGN901, and SAR3419 are in development for HER2+ cancers, CD56+ cancers, and CD19+ cancers, respectively, as their antibodies target these different types of cancers.

While ImmunoGen is known for our TAP technology, we also have extensive antibody expertise.

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