# DNA cleaver payloads (enediynes)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/dna-cleaver-payloads/  
OnCo record `dna-cleaver-payloads` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

DNA cleaver payloads are natural products that cut both strands of DNA. They are used in the two oldest approved ADCs, both for leukaemias.

## Summary

DNA cleaver payloads are natural products of the enediyne class that cut both strands of DNA, and they are used in the two oldest approved ADCs, both for leukaemias. Calicheamicin, also known by the class name ozogamicin, is the only enediyne found in approved ADCs, and the record for Gemtuzumab ozogamicin is linked as the example. Its acid-cleavable hydrazone linker and its hepatotoxicity shaped how later linkers and payloads were designed, a lesson that runs through the whole ADC field. The class belongs to the Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology and the Payload (ADC) term, and it is referenced by the specific payload record Calicheamicin.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: calicheamicin class; ozogamicin

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enediyne
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enediyne

## Connected records

- terms: [Calicheamicin](https://onco.cc/terms/calicheamicin/), [Payload (ADC)](https://onco.cc/terms/payload/)
- technologies: [Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)](https://onco.cc/technologies/adc/)
- drugs: [Gemtuzumab ozogamicin](https://onco.cc/drugs/gemtuzumab-ozogamicin/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/dna-cleaver-payloads.json