placebo + SYD985

This is a combination of placebo and SYD985, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) developed for the treatment of HER2-positive cancers. SYD985 consists of a humanized monoclonal IgG1 antibody targeting HER2 (trastuzumab backbone), covalently linked via a cleavable valine-citrulline linker to the cytotoxic payload seco-duocarmycin-hydroxybenzamide-azaindole (seco-DUBA). Upon binding to HER2-expressing tumor cells, the ADC is internalized and the linker is cleaved by proteases in lysosomes, releasing the active toxin that irreversibly alkylates DNA, leading to cell death. The design allows for both direct killing of HER2-positive cells and a bystander effect on neighboring tumor cells with low or negative HER2 expression. Placebo serves as an inactive comparator in clinical trials.

Brand names

vic-trastuzumab duocarmazine

Other names

trastuzumab duocarmazineSYD985 (trastuzumab vc-seco-DUBA)[vic-]trastuzumab duocarmazine