Agonist. A compound which binds to a receptor and stimulates its activity.
Antigen. Substance which triggers a reaction in the immune system, such as a bacteria or virus.
Antibody. Proteins used by the body’s immune defenses to detect and identify xenobiotic material.
Bispecific antibodies. Antibody-based products which bind to two different targets and thus have dual functions.
Cancer. A disease in which cells divide in an uncontrolled manner and invade neighboring tissue. Cancer can also spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body through the blood and the lymphatic system.
CDMO – Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization. Business that provides end-to-end, fully integrated drug development and manufacturing solutions and services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
Checkpoint inhibitor. An antibody with the ability to break the immune system’s tolerance to something dangerous, for example a cancer tumor. Immune-inhibiting signals can be blocked through binding to a specific receptor such as CTLA-4 or PD-1.
Clinical study. The examination of healthy volunteers or patients to study the safety and efficacy of a potential drug or treatment method.
CRO (Clinical Research Organization). Company specialized in performing contract research and clinical studies on behalf of other pharma or biotech companies.
CTA (Clinical Trial Authorization). Application to start clinical trials in humans which is submitted to a regulatory authority.
CTLA-4 (Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-Associated protein-4). An immune-inhibiting molecule expressed in and on the surface of T cells, primarily regulatory T cells.
Dendritic cell. A type of cell which detects xenobiotic substances. A key role of dendritic cells is their ability to stimulate T cells in the immune system.
Discovery. This research phase usually encompasses the development and evaluation of treatment concepts, the evaluation of potential drug candidates, and early efficacy studies.
Disease control rate (DCR). Proportion of patients with objective response or stabilization of disease.
Drug candidate. A specific compound usually designated before or during the preclinical phase. The drug candidate is the compound that is then studied in humans in clinical studies.
EMA. The European Medicines Agency.
Experimental model. A model of a disease or other injury to resemble a similar condition in humans.
FDA. The US Food and Drug Administration.
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). Quality assurance methodology designed to ensure that products are manufactured in a standardized manner, such that quality requirements are satisfied.
Immuno-oncology. Field of oncology in which cancer is treated by activating the immune system.
INN (International Nonproprietary Name). Generic name on a drug substance. The INN is selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1953.
Lead.A potential drug candidate which binds to the actual target molecule/s.
Ligand. Binds to a receptor. Could be a drug, hormone or a transmitter substance.
Lymphocyte. A type of white blood cells.
Macrophages. A type of white blood cell of the immune system that engulfs and digests cellular debris and foreign materia such as bacteria.
Milestone payment. Financial consideration received in the course of a project/program when a specified objective is reached.
Mitazalimab. Generic name (INN) for ADC-1013.
Monospecific antibodies. Antibody-based product which bind only to one target, such as a receptor.
NK cells. NK cells (Natural Killer) are lymphocytes with the ability to activate several different cells in the immune system, such as macrophages.
Oncology. Term for the field of medicine concerned with the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of tumor diseases.
Objective Response Rate (ORR) Assessment of the tumor burden after a given treatment in patients with solid tumors. Important parameter to demonstrate the efficacy of a treatment and serves as a primary or secondary end-point in clinical trials.
Patent. Exclusive rights to a discovery or invention.
PD-1 (Programmed Death-1). Immune-inhibiting receptor on the surface of certain cells, for example tumor cells.
PD-L1 (Programmed Death-Ligand-1). The ligand that binds to PD-1, helping the cancer evade the body’s immune defense.
Phase 1,2 and 3. The various stages of studies on the efficacy of a pharma-
ceutical in humans. See also “clinical study.” Phase 1 examines the safety on healthy human subjects, Phase 2 examines efficacy in patients with the relevant disease and Phase 3 is a large-scale study that verifies previously achieved results. In the development of new pharmaceuticals, different doses are trialed and safety is evaluated in patients with relevant disease. Phase 2 is often divided into Phase 2a and Phase 2b. In Phase 2a, which is open, different doses of the pharmaceutical are tested without comparison against placebo and focusing on safety and the pharmaceutical’s metabolism in the body. Phase 2b is ‘blind’, and tests the efficacy of selected dose(es) against placebo.
Pharmacokinetics. The study of the turnover of substances in the body, for example how the amount of the substance is changed by absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion.
Pharmacology. The study of how substances interact with living organisms to bring about a functional change.
Preclinical. The stage of drug development before the drug candidate is tested in humans. It includes the final optimization of the drug candidate, the production of materials for future clinical studies and the compilation of a data package for an application to start clinical studies.
Proof of concept studies. Studies carried out to provide support for dosages and administration paths in subsequent clinical studies.
R&D. Research & Development
Receptor. A receptor on a cell which picks up chemical signals.
RECIST. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors – simple and pragmatic methodology to evaluate the activity and efficacy of new cancer therapeutics in solid tumors, using validated and consistent criteria to assess changes in tumor burden.
Sponsor. The person, company, institution or organization responsible for initiating, organizing or financing a clinical study.
T cell. A type of white blood cell which is important to the specific immune defense.
Tumor-associated antigen (TAA). A protein expressed to a much higher degree on the surface of tumor cells than healthy cells.
Tumor cell. A cell that divides relentlessly.
Tumor necrotic factor receptor superfamily (TNFR-SF). A group of immune-modulating target proteins related to the tumor necrosis factor protein. The name ‘tumor necrosis factor’ was derived from the fact that the first function detected for the protein was its ability to kill some types of tumor cells, though it was later discovered to have an immune-regulatory function.