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ADC bioconjugation manufacturing (CDMOs)

Joining a highly toxic payload to an antibody safely and at scale. Few contractors can do it, which shapes who can develop ADCs.

ADC manufacturing needs high-potency containment (OEB 5), conjugation chemistry, and analytics for drug-to-antibody ratio and free payload. Capacity is concentrated in a handful of CDMOs: Lonza (Visp, incl. Synaffix technology), WuXi XDC, Samsung Biologics (new ADC plant 2025), Piramal Pharma Solutions, Abzena, Sterling, and Merck KGaA's MilliporeSigma. Payload-linker supply (MedChemExpress, Levena, Kelun's in-house) and lyophilised fill-finish are the other choke points.

Generic schematic · not to scale · placeholder for the adcs front
Antibody (Fc) · Payload on cleavable linker (DAR 8) · Antigen-binding arm

How it works

Antibody produced by CHO cell culture; payload-linker synthesised under containment; site-specific or stochastic conjugation, purification, and DAR analytics; aseptic fill.

Strengths
  • Specialised containment and analytics
  • Integrated antibody-to-vial programmes
Limitations
  • Few qualified sites, long queues
  • Geopolitical exposure (China-based capacity)
  • Payload-linker single sourcing

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Query for this technology: (TITLE:"ADC bioconjugation manufacturing" OR ABSTRACT:"ADC bioconjugation manufacturing" OR TITLE:"CDMOs" OR ABSTRACT:"CDMOs") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about ADC bioconjugation manufacturing (CDMOs), not a curated reading list.

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