Evaluating antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) in vitro using 3D tumor spheroid models

Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) combine highly targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic drug molecules with an immunotherapeutic intervention for cancer cell killing. A rapid increase in ADC development in recent years has created a need for robust and reliable techniques for assessing novel candidate drugs. The use of 3D advanced cell models can improve the translational ability of these in vitro techniques. In this application note, Sartorius presents a combined Incucyte^® Live-Cell Analysis and iQue^® High-Throughput Screening (HTS) by cytometry workflow for assessing anti-HER2 ADC activity in single and multi-spheroid models. Incucyte Live-Cell Analysis data demonstrated greater induction of cytotoxicity by anti-HER2 ADCs (Kadcyla^® and Enhertu^®) compared to the monoclonal antibody (mAb) backbone on which they were based (trastuzumab).