EDC Technology

Advancing Drug Discovery Synergistic Targeting

Cancer experts are moving away from classifying cancer patients on the basis of a particular organ or tissue and toward a marker or pathway-based classification system. Utilizing our scientific expertise and deep understanding of cancer marker interactions, Centrose has created a revolutionary new drug technology called EDC and is using it to design safer and more effective drugs.

The Extracellular Drug Conjugate system (or EDC system) is comprised of three parts: a binding component that specifically targets diseased cells, a drug and a linker that connects them. This is similar to the antibody drug conjugate (ADC) system, except that the EDC requires neither dissociation nor cell internalization - eliminating the major drawbacks of the ADC system. 

In the EDC system, the antibody and the drug, while linked, bind to their respective cell surface targets, at the same time and in synergy.  The incredible specificity of the EDC system arises from the requirement that both the antibody target and the drug target must be present and in close proximity for binding and activity. After binding, the drug sends a signal into the cell. Since the drug acts outside of the cell, internalization of the conjugate is not required. Because the EDC remains extracellular, it is not degraded and can act on additional targets. This means that the drug is never released from the antibody, preventing off-target side-effects. In fact, the drug must be attached to the antibody for it to have any effect.

The EDC system allows for the construction of targeted drugs that can be developed for multiple indications beyond the cancer model.