Emerging antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapies: perspectives from the global patent landscape
- 1School of Business Administration, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
- 2Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University
Abstract
Background: Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent one of the most significant innovations in biopharmaceutical research, integrating antibody target specificity with the cytotoxic potency of small-molecule payloads. Despite rapid progress, the technological structure and knowledge dynamics underlying ADC innovation remain insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to map the ADC technological landscape through patent analysis of 6,620 patent families published before 30 June 2025.
Method: BERTopic was applied to extract global topics, and characterize the ADC knowledge structure. A directed patent citation network was constructed at the patent family level, and patent citations were aggregated by dominant topic to establish a topic citation network. Degree-based and PageRank metrics were used to identify key topics and evaluate their functional roles in knowledge flow.
Results: The analysis categorized 47 technological topics into nine clusters covering Target Selection, Biological Mechanisms, Antibody Structure, Therapeutic Indications, Conjugation Chemistry, Linker Chemistry, Payload Modality, Delivery Systems, Formulations and Stability. Ten key topics were identified as hubs within the topic citation network, comprising five target topics: B-cell surface antigens, B7 family antigens, Mesothelin, AXL, and HER family receptors; two payload topics: PBD payloads and Camptothecin-derived payloads; two mechanism topics: Interleukin immunocytokine and Immune checkpoint modulation, and one delivery topic: Nanoparticle delivery. Topic role analysis indicated distinct patterns among absorption-oriented, diffusion-oriented, and bridging topics in shaping knowledge absorption, dissemination, and trans-topic reorganization.
Conclusion: This study provides an evidence-based view of the ADC patent landscape and offers strategic insights for target prioritization, payload design, and R&D planning. It also demonstrates the applicability of integrated patent landscape analysis to other emerging technology fields.
Related
- The Evolving Landscape of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Clinical Assessment, Precision Therapies, and Emerging Strategies
- Emerging cell therapies for gastrointestinal cancers: Advances and future perspectives
- Paediatric palliative approach in the era of disease modifying therapies in spinal muscular atrophy — a comprehensive landscape of French specialist physicians’ perspectives
- Emerging innovative immunotherapies in malignant ascites: current landscape, challenges and perspectives
- Human-Guided Agentic AI for End-to-End EHR Research: Sequential Antibody-Drug Conjugate Pathways in Breast Cancer
BibTeX
@article{wu2026emerging,
title = {{Emerging antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapies: perspectives from the global patent landscape}},
author = {Tong Wu and Baijun Liu and Jiayu Jin and Yajie Zhou and Hongmei Yuan},
journal = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fphar.2026.1853273},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1853273/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Emerging antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapies: perspectives from the global patent landscape
AU - Tong Wu
AU - Baijun Liu
AU - Jiayu Jin
AU - Yajie Zhou
AU - Hongmei Yuan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Frontiers in Pharmacology
DO - 10.3389/fphar.2026.1853273
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1853273/full
AB - Background: Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent one of the most significant innovations in biopharmaceutical research, integrating antibody target specificity with the cytotoxic potency of small-molecule payloads. Despite rapid progress, the technological structure and knowledge dynamics underlying ADC innovation remain insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to map the ADC technological landscape through patent analysis of 6,620 patent families published before 30 June 2025. Method: BERTopic was applied to extract global topics, and characterize the ADC knowledge structure. A directed patent citation network was constructed at the patent family level, and patent citations were aggregated by dominant topic to establish a topic citation network. Degree-based and PageRank metrics were used to identify key topics and evaluate their functional roles in knowledge flow. Results: The analysis categorized 47 technological topics into nine clusters covering Target Selection, Biological Mechanisms, Antibody Structure, Therapeutic Indications, Conjugation Chemistry, Linker Chemistry, Payload Modality, Delivery Systems, Formulations and Stability. Ten key topics were identified as hubs within the topic citation network, comprising five target topics: B-cell surface antigens, B7 family antigens, Mesothelin, AXL, and HER family receptors; two payload topics: PBD payloads and Camptothecin-derived payloads; two mechanism topics: Interleukin immunocytokine and Immune checkpoint modulation, and one delivery topic: Nanoparticle delivery. Topic role analysis indicated distinct patterns among absorption-oriented, diffusion-oriented, and bridging topics in shaping knowledge absorption, dissemination, and trans-topic reorganization. Conclusion: This study provides an evidence-based view of the ADC patent landscape and offers strategic insights for target prioritization, payload design, and R&D planning. It also demonstrates the applicability of integrated patent landscape analysis to other emerging technology fields.
SN - 1663-9812
ER -