Whitepapers

Explore the future of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) in oncology. This summary addresses key challenges, differentiation strategies, and the importance of understanding tumor biology to optimize ADC development.

As has been true for many years, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in developed countries, and oncology remains the largest therapeutic area for biopharma R&D and sales. Accordingly, Lumanity has cultivated dedicated expertise in oncology across our businesses, including strategy consulting, medical affairs, medical communications, market insight, market access, and others. Lumanity has further established an Oncology Center of Excellence where our internal oncology experts across the company coordinate, collaborate, and share insights. As 2024 wrapped up, we reflected on some noteworthy trends and events and how they may continue to unfold and impact the field in 2025. We are pleased to share with you a collection of these perspectives.

Autoimmune diseases (AID) encompass a group of more than 80 distinct diseases affecting up to 50 million individuals in the U.S. alone, all of which are characterized by an abnormal immune response against self, usually involving autoreactive B and T cells. These diseases range in severity from minor nuisance (e.g., mild Sjogren’s Syndrome) to life-threatening (e.g., severe lupus nephritis), and their management collectively costs the U.S. healthcare system more than $100B each year. Management typically involves the use of broad-acting immunosuppressive drugs which can be highly effective at controlling symptoms and preventing disease progression in some patients. However, available treatments are not curative, don’t work for all patients, require lifelong treatment, and are often associated with significant side effects due to chronic immunosuppression. Accordingly, there is a great need for new treatments that are safer and more effective. For drug developers in the autoimmune space, the holy grail has long-been to restore immune tolerance without the need for broad-acting immunosuppressive drugs.