Sidewinder Ther­a­peu­tics

Antibody-drug conjugates or ADCs are guided-missile cancer therapies that include an antibody (to recognize a protein on the surface of a cancer cell), a chemical linker, and a toxic payload molecule. Most ADCs bind to just one target. But some cancer cells reprogram their signaling networks so that receptors cluster together into complexes that drive tumor growth and evade normal regulatory controls. Sidewinder is developing a new generation of bispecific ADCs that can bind to two complexed targets simul­ta­ne­ously — increasing tumor specificity — while also triggering the tumor cells to internalize the antibody-receptor complex, including the toxin. The company believes its bispecific ADCs will work against cancers with limited treatment options such as colorectal cancer and squamous cell carcinomas in lung and head and neck cancers.