Bioconjugate & ADC Design - Abzena

Bioconjugate Discovery & Design

Comprehensive R&D capabilities and expert design for bioconjugates including ADCs, AOCs and RDCs. Seamlessly bridge from discovery into preclinical development & beyond with our enhanced capabilities.

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Reliable, holistic bioconjugate discovery and design.

Abzena collaborates closely with partners to deliver bioconjugates design strategies that balance innovation, performance, and manufacturability. Together, we define a clear scientific rationale to identify optimal lead candidates and advance programs efficiently into development.

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Our expertise spans every component of modern bioconjugate design, including antibodies and targeting proteins, conjugation chemistries, polymers, release mechanisms, and payloads. We provide full discovery and ADC design support, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs), radionuclide-drug conjugates (RDCs) including antibody-chelate conjugates (ACCs) and more.

Abzena’s preclinical discovery scientists have deep experience in developing robust, reproducible conjugation methodologies. We work collaboratively to optimize your molecule’s stability, efficacy, and safety profile from early research through preclinical testing.

Enhanced Antibody Discovery Capabilities

Abzena & Mabqi Announce Partnership to Offer Integrated Discovery through Development Solution - Abzena

Abzena & Mabqi Announce Partnership to Offer Integrated Discovery through Development Solution

Abzena & Mabqi have formed a strategic partnership that will integrate Mabqi’s antibody discovery capabilities with Abzena’s bioconjugate development and manufacturing services, offering our customers a more streamlined, end-to-end drug development solution.

The partnership will leverage Mabqi’s LiteMab Antibody Discovery Studio for hit screening, characterization, and hit selection by using universal & pH-sensitive libraries to identify top lead candidates, and utilize Abzena’s bioconjugate capabilities for developability, cell line development, process development, and GMP manufacturing.

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ADC Toolbox

The Abzena ADC Toolbox

We have developed and have expertise in:

  • Numerous conjugation types including enzymatic, lysine, cysteine, and engineered cysteine
  • Multitudes of antibody drug conjugates and conjugation of antibody fragments, novel carrier proteins, peptides, polymers, nanoparticles, and polysaccharides (see TOOLBOX)
  • Well-known and novel classes of chemotherapies such as auristatins, maytansines, anthracyclines, PBD dimers, camptothecins and
  • duocarmycins
  • Several conjugations of imaging and labeling agents
  • Conjugating other therapeutic molecules such as peptides, poly and oligosaccharides, synthetic polymers, and DNA and RNA based oligomers
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Antibodies & Targeting Carrier Proteins

To optimize each molecule, Abzena’s expert scientists apply extensive experience in bioconjugates design to deliver the desired mode of action and achieve the defined Target Product Profile (TPP) for your program.

Our teams work with a wide range of target carriers, including full antibodies, antibody fragments, engineered scaffolds, peptides, and other carrier proteins. This flexibility supports the design of complex conjugates such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs), and radionuclide-based constructs.

We take a holistic approach to ADC design, considering all variables from carrier selection to ADC linker design and payload release. Our deep understanding of protein engineering allows us to enhance targeting precision, stability, and functionality – ensuring each molecular entity performs as intended in preclinical development and beyond.

Payloads (Including Cytotoxic & Immune)

To deliver the required biological activity for your program, with efficacy and safety in balance, Abzena’s scientists apply deep experience in bioconjugates design and payload selection.

Our teams have worked with a wide range of cytotoxic payloads, including auristatins, maytansines, anthracyclines, amatoxins, PBD dimers, duocarmycins, and camptothecins. We also support payloads used in emerging therapeutic modalities such as immunomodulators (TLR and STING agonists), peptides, polysaccharides, antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates, DNA and RNA-based oligomers, and chelators for radionuclide-drug conjugates and targeted radioimmunotherapy.

Through precise ADC linker design, we mitigate challenges caused by variations in payload chemistry and stability, ensuring consistent conjugation and controlled release.

A comprehensive suite of analytical methods supports each stage of design and development, enabling accurate characterization and performance evaluation of your conjugate.

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PEGylation

We have extensive experience in PEGylating a number of proteins and peptides to extend the half-life of the biological molecule.

We provide a range of both proprietary and non-proprietary PEGylation technologies for use with different molecular weight PEGs, in linear and branched formats.

They have been designed to conjugate PEG to either disulfide bonds, thiols on single cysteines or to poly-histidine motifs.

We provide a range of both proprietary and non-proprietary PEGylation technologies for use with different molecular weight PEGs, in linear and branched formats.

They have been designed to conjugate PEG to either disulfide bonds, thiols on single cysteines or to poly-histidine motifs.

Accelerating your development timelines, we leverage our unique expertise to solve your challenges associated with designing, producing, characterizing, and testing PEGylated products.

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Bioconjugation Technologies

Why Choose Abzena? - About Abzena

Abzena’s expert team applies advanced bioconjugates design principles to develop a wide range of tailored conjugates. We routinely prepare bioconjugates using traditional chemistries that stochastically target lysine or cysteine residues, enabling reproducible and scalable ADC design strategies.

In addition, our scientists have deep experience with site-specific conjugation approaches, including:

  • Enzymatic conjugation for site-specific functionalization of native antibodies
  • Remodeled glycan targeting technologies for enhanced control of conjugation sites
  • Engineered constructs incorporating cysteine mutations, non-natural amino acids, or enzymatic tags for improved selectivity and ADC linker design flexibility

Abzena has strong expertise in disulfide rebridging conjugation approaches with stable, homogenous, single DAR conjugates available through a proprietary technology. Driven by the Target Product Profile (TPP), an appropriate conjugation strategy will be designed.

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Robust Conjugation Processes

For proof-of-concept evaluation, linker assembly utilizing click chemistry allows for rapid and efficient modulation of its constitutive elements to evaluate:

  • the influence of payload type;
  • release mechanisms;
  • drug loading;
  • conjugation; and
  • solubilizing moieties.

Our experts develop robust conjugation processes maximizing conversion to the target species and purification strategies allowing isolation with high recoveries and purity.

Critical Process Parameters (CPP) are identified at an early stage to ensure development of a conjugation process, accelerate your lead candidate, and scale up of your manufacturing.

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Bioconjugate Development Services

Abzena are leaders in providing specialized bioconjugation services across ADCs, AOCs, RDCs, ACCs and more, all underpinned by robust analytical capabilities.

ADC Development

Discover the leading end-to-end ADC CDMO partner from design to development and manufacture.

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AOC Development

We are global leaders in the development of antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs).

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RDC/ACC Development

We deliver tailored solutions for small molecule intermediates including high potency chemistry, payloads, linkers, and bioconjugates.

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Bioconjugate Discovery & Design FAQs

What is bioconjugates design?

Bioconjugates are the process of linking biologically active molecules to payloads for targeted delivery. Abzena designs stable, effective conjugates with precise control over release and activity.

How does Abzena approach ADC design, and the design of other bioconjugates?

Our teams apply integrated ADC design and ADC linker design principles to balance potency, stability, and safety, optimizing linkers for controlled payload release.

What payloads does Abzena work with?

We support bioconjugates design for cytotoxins, immunomodulators, and oligonucleotides, as well as radionuclide drug conjugate development for radioimmunotherapy.

How does Abzena ensure reproducibility?

Using validated conjugation and analytical methods, Abzena ensures each bioconjugate is consistent, pure, and ready for regulated development.

Related Content

Linker Payload

Supporting candidate ranking and lead selection, we determine the optimal design of linker payload architecture and profiling.

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Bioconjugate & ADC Development

We identify and de-risk your bioconjugate and ADC clinical candidates for development ensuring stage-specific milestones are met.

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Complex Chemistry & Polymers

We develop novel and improve synthetic routes for complex chemicals, cytotoxins, payloads, linkers, HPAPI and more.

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Let’s move medicine forward - Abzena

Let’s move medicine forward.

The asset you’re developing right now can make a real difference for human health. Let us use our wealth of experience to deploy the best technologies, shorten lead times and implement effective risk mitigation strategies.

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