Recent progress in the development of peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) for cancer therapy

Abstract

Peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) are emerging therapeutic agents composed of peptides, linkers, and payloads, which possess favorable targeting capability and can deliver enough payloads to the tumor sites with minimized impact on healthy tissues. However, only a few PDCs have been approved for clinical use so far. To advance the research on PDCs, this review summarizes the approved PDCs, and PDCs in clinical and preclinical stages based on the payload types. Additionally, the biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties of preclinical PDCs are detailedly described. Lastly, the challenges and future development directions of PDCs are discussed. This review aims to inspire insights into the development of PDCs for cancer treatment.

Keywords: Cancer therapy; Cytotoxic drugs; Peptide-drug conjugates; Tyrosine kinase inhibitors.