Menu

 

Scholar Profiles

Andrew Counsell

Andrew Counsell

Country of origin: Australia

Subject: Chemistry

Matriculation year: 2018

‘Antibody-drug conjugates’ (ADCs) are an emerging class of anti-cancer therapeutics, which exploit the ability of antibodies to target specific proteins in order to selectively deliver cytotoxic agents to cancer cells. They consist of an antibody connected to a drug through a chemical linker. The antibody is chosen for its ability to bind selectively to an overexpressed or unique antigen found on the surface of the tumour cell. Thus, the antibody guides the ADC to target tumour cells, where the drug is released to perform its cell-killing function – ideally leaving other cells unharmed. ADCs hold considerable potential as anti-cancer therapeutics due to their targeted nature, allowing them to overcome the dose-limiting toxicity and side-effects associated with traditional chemotherapy. There is tremendous interest in the field, with four ADCs currently on the market, and many more in clinical trials.

My research is focused on the development of new chemical linkers that are able to connect the drug to the antibody. Linkers are also able to control the release of the drug once the ADC has reached the tumour cell, as well as modulate the overall properties of the ADC – both of which heavily influence the effectiveness of an ADC. The development of new linkers is crucial to the design of next-generation ADCs that are able to better target and better destroy cancer cells.