Under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Professor Dr. Sarmed H. Kathem Alkhateeb, the Continuing Education Unit at the University of Baghdad/College of Pharmacy, held an in-person workshop entitled “Antibody-Drug Conjugates for Targeted Cancer Therapy, ” delivered by Lecturer Dr. Mohammed Abdulameer Oleiwi ,a faculty member at the Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department.
The workshop aimed to introduce participants to the concept of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) as one of the latest strategies in targeted cancer therapy and to explain their basic components and mechanism of action.
The workshop included several topics, including an introduction to cancer and conventional chemotherapy and its challenges, the concept of targeted therapy and the “magic bullet” idea, and the role of monoclonal antibodies in targeting cancer cells. Also, it addressed the historical development of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs), their basic components, criteria for selecting the target antigen and cytotoxic payload, types of chemical linkers and conjugation methods, as well as their mechanism of action in targeting and eliminating cancer cells.
The workshop concluded that Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) represent a significant advancement in targeted cancer therapy, combining precise targeting with the potency of cytotoxic drugs while minimizing side effects, making them one of the most promising strategies in modern cancer treatment.
