Robert Lutz
Chief Scientific Officer Iksuda Therapeutics
Bob Lutz is a recognized leader in the development of ADCs, with a proven record of advancing breakthrough oncology therapeutics. Since 2015, he has advised biotech and pharma companies worldwide and currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer at Iksuda Therapeutics. Over his 23-year career at ImmunoGen, Inc., he held senior R&D leadership roles, including Vice President of Translational R&D, and played pivotal roles in the development of two FDA-approved ADCs—Kadcyla® and Elahere®.
Seminars
The future of antibody-drug conjugates is accelerating beyond traditional cytotoxic payloads, fueled by rapid innovation in linker engineering, novel conjugation platforms, and the integration of computational biology. As converging technologies redefine what an ADC can deliver, the antibody is evolving into a versatile delivery vehicle capable of transporting an increasingly diverse therapeutic arsenal.
This session explores the feasibility and promise of emerging payload classes, the transformation of the linker from a
passive connector into an active, programmable controller of drug release, and strategies for designing molecules that are translatable and manufacturable from day one.
Join this panel to gain strategic foresight on positioning your ADC programs at the forefront of targeted oncology and beyond by discussing:
- Exploring the transition beyond cytotoxins to integrate degraders, radio nuclides, and immune modulators, focusing on the radical linker and conjugation innovations required to expand the ADC therapeutic arsenal into new disease spaces
- Debating the future role of the linker as a smart, stimuli-responsive "payload traffic controller", evaluating emerging technologies to achieve maximal tumor killing with minimal systemic exposure for an optimized therapeutic window
- Strategizing to build future-proof platforms that integrate predictive in silico modelling of biophysical properties with scalable site-specific conjugation, to de-risk development timelines and accelerate the delivery of next-generation ADCs to patients
- Incorporating branched or linear carbohydrate polymers effectively masking high hydrophobicity and preventing ADC aggregation
- Exploring linkers with enzymatically cleavable triggers, for efficient tumor-localized payload release, to unlock the therapeutic novel payloads
- Understanding linker impact on payload delivery to explore extracellular release and internalizing peptides
