Merck ADC Express services

Merck has introduced its ADC Express services for the rapid production of ADCs, designed to reduce the time needed to produce development-grade constructs for target molecule identification.

Merck’s established platform technology can efficiently turn an antibody, linker and payload into an ADC. The company offers a platform approach to ADC constructs and bioconjugation, which is said to result in increased flexibility and speed.

The company’s ADC Express services include mini-prep scale (10–20 mg ADC construct ± column purification); medium-prep scale (~100 mg ADC ± column purification); and a certificate of testing with key quality attributes, including ADC concentration, payload density/DAR (drug antibody ratio) and monomer/aggregate content and free residual payload.

For companies that have a rich pipeline of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and want to enter the ADC space, Merck’s services allow them to obtain ADCs without having to invest in potent handling capabilities. Companies can either bring their own linker technology or procure a linker payload from Merck.

Traditionally, several CDMOs across the globe were involved in the development and production of ADC programs. Merck’s comprehensive ADC service portfolio combines the crucial steps of drug development and production — mAb solutions, linker, payload and the final conjugation — all from a single source.