Bench2Bedside:
Tell our readers a bit about Adcytherix and how your strategy of pairing novel payloads with ADC design sets you apart from other players in the ADC field.

Dr. Jack Elands:
Adcytherix is building a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) franchise to address cancers where today’s ADCs underperform. Our core differentiation lies in our novel payload approach paired with smart conjugation and antibody engineering. While many ADCs still rely on a few well-known payload classes, our proprietary payload families overcome known resistance mechanisms, improve the therapeutic index, and broaden tumor coverage. We combine this payload approach with optimized linker architectures (e.g., carefully controlled drug-to-antibody ratio, or DAR, and stability profiles) and antibody development to deliver deeper and more durable responses, without compromising safety. 

Bench2Bedside:
You recently closed a €105 million Series A financing. Congratulations! How are you planning to deploy this capital to accelerate your pipeline and expand operations?

Dr. Jack Elands:
Thank you. This financing round enables us to execute quickly and at scale across three priorities:

1. 1. Advancing our lead program (ADCX-020) to the clinic by filing our IND and CTA, scaling CMC and manufacturing, and start our first-in-human trial in Q1 2026.
   2. Expanding the pipeline by progressing additional proprietary ADCs built on distinct, novel payload classes aimed at resistant or underserved tumors.
   3. Expanding our platform and footprint by building out CMC, translational, and clinical capabilities and strengthening our operations to accelerate development.

Bench2Bedside:
Could you describe the key limitations in today’s ADC landscape such as reliance on tubulin/topoisomerase I payloads and evolving tumor resistance and how Adcytherix’s approach addresses these unmet needs?

Dr. Jack Elands:
Three structural limitations stand out:

• • Payload concentration risk: A heavy reliance on tubulin and topoisomerase I payloads create the potential for class-specific resistance and cross resistance, resulting in effects such as efflux pump upregulation.
  • Therapeutic index constraints: Instability or off-target release can lead to systemic toxicity, which limits dose intensity and duration.
  • Tumor biology mismatch: Some targets and microenvironments are poorly served by existing payload mechanisms, resulting in suboptimal depth of response.

We respond by diversifying the payload toolbox and integrating engineering that preserves stability in circulation and efficient intracellular release. In practice, that means:

• • Novel payload classes that are tuned to circumvent acquired resistance and unlock new indications.
  • Optimized linker-payload designs (including DAR control and stability kinetics) to enhance tumor penetration and safety.
  • Data-driven antibody development to maximize target engagement and internalization in relevant tumor contexts.

Bench2Bedside:
Please walk us through your lead program (ADCX-020) and how your payload/linker/antibody engineering work enables differentiation in solid-tumor and hematologic settings.

Dr. Jack Elands:
ADCX-020 is our lead proprietary ADC progressing toward first-in-human evaluation. ADCX-020 is an exatecan-based ADC that we’ve optimized with a DAR4 design, to be able to dose higher and achieve a deeper tumor penetration and thereby a stronger antitumor activity. While we are not yet disclosing the target, ADCX-020 illustrates our philosophy and design strategy:

• • Linker / DAR strategy: circulation-stable, tumor-activated release with a tightly controlled DAR engineered to balance potency, tumor penetration, and tolerability.
  • Antibody engineering: selection of the appropriate affinity, efficient internalization and lack of Fc driven immune cell interaction.

Collectively, these design choices aim to increase depth and duration of response while maintaining a favorable safety window – the core of clinical differentiation in ADCs.

Bench2Bedside:
What key milestones are you aiming to hit over the next 12 to 24 months as you advance your ADC platform and prepare for first-in-human trials?

Dr. Jack Elands:
Over the next 12-24 months, we are focused on execution milestones that de-risk clinical entry and expand our options:

• • Regulatory: complete IND/CTA-enabling package and regulatory submissions for ADCX-020.
  • CMC & Manufacturing: lock clinical-grade processes (antibody, linker-payload, conjugation) and release GMP batches for Phase I.
  • Translational: finalize biomarker and patient-selection hypotheses to inform dose escalation and early signal detection.
  • Clinical Readiness: site startup, clinical operations build-out, and first-in-human Phase I initiation upon authorization.
  • Pipeline: nominate at least one additional development candidate from a distinct payload class and advance a broader discovery funnel.
  • Partnerships & Team: selectively add internal capabilities (CMC, clinical) and pursue value-adding collaborations that can accelerate development.