Division/Committee: [BIOL: Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology] [MEDI: Division of Medicinal Chemistry]

Peptide conjugates represent a new chemical modality that exploits peptides with high specific affinity for an overexpressed receptor on the surface of cancer cells linked to specific payloads, allowing for targeted delivery. This approach has enjoyed considerable clinical success as demonstrated by the approval of both antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and the two peptide-radionuclide conjugates 177Lu-DOTA-TATE and 177Lu-PSMA-617 for the treatment of cancer. Importantly, these latter conjugates also offer the facility to be used as imaging agents for biomarkers and cancer diagnosis. Furthermore, peptide conjugates have the potential to address certain limitations associated with ADCs while enhancing safety and efficacy. At 1/50th of the size, peptide conjugates are expected to exhibit differentiated distribution, metabolism, and elimination relative to the larger ADCs. The smaller size of peptide conjugates allows them to penetrate more deeply into tissues than antibodies. With the remarkable progress and ongoing resurgence in the peptide field, peptide conjugates are poised to to be able to explore broader applications beyond oncology. In this session, we plan to highlight fundamental aspects of the design and application of approved and upcoming carrier-linked drugs (also called drug conjugates) as therapeutics or theranostics in oncology and infectious diseases.