How ADCs can deliver death cap mushroom toxins to treat cancer

Heidelberg Pharma is a clinical stage biotech company developing antibody drug conjugates (ADCs).

Its lead amanitin-based ADC product candidate, HDP-101, targets relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. HDP-101 recently received orphan drug designation; it is currently in a phase I/IIa clinical trial, demonstrating first signs of clinical efficacy. 

The company is also expanding its therapeutic product pipeline with a further four programs across a variety of malignant hematologic and solid tumors.

To tell us about how HDP-101 works, and what Heidelberg Pharma is doing in the space, we had a conversation with the company’s CEO, Prof. Andreas Pahl.

00:55-02:05: About Heidelberg Pharma
02:05-03:41: What are antibody-drug conjugates?
03:41-05:27: Why are antibody-drug conjugates in the news currently?
05:27-06:15: What is big pharma’s involvement in the field?
06:15-07:04: Will there be more antibody-drug conjugate approvals?
07:04-08:42: What can antibody-drug conjugates be used to treat?
08:42-09:48: How do you avoid toxicity issues?
09:48-10:31: How important is the linker?
10:31-12:06: What is alpha-amanitin?
12:06-13:28: How do you make a toxin not toxic?
13:28-14:11: What tumor types can be targeted?
14:11-15:59: How do you discover a toxin can treat a disease?
15:59-17:38: How is alpha-amanitin delivered?
17:38-19:27: Is alpha-amanitin a monotherapy?
19:27-22:16: What clinical trials are you doing?
22:16-23:31: What are the next steps now you have orphan drug designation?
23:31-24:14: What are the timelines?
24:14-25:36: Where are antibody-drug conjugates headed?
25:36-27:14: Are AI and machine learning making an impact?

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