The 16th World ADC London Summit
Bioconjugation Insights 2026; 1(1), 7–9
DOI: 10.18609/bci.2026.002
As ADCs continue to mature into established oncology modalities, the field faces a new set of scientific and translational challenges. Clinical saturation around established payload classes, emerging resistance mechanisms, and unmet medical needs are placing renewed emphasis on payload innovation, molecular design, and smarter clinical positioning to continue to deliver patient impact.
Returning in February 2026, the 16th World ADC London Summit convenes the global ADC community to address these challenges head-on, bringing together more than 110 speakers from Europe, North America, and Asia to explore how next-generation ADCs can be optimized for durability, tolerability, and earlier-line use. Spanning 4 days of scientific programming, seminars, and workshops, the meeting offers five parallel tracks covering discovery, preclinical and translational development, clinical lessons, process and analytical development, and manufacturing and supply chain.
Differentiated payloads & ADC design front & center
As resistance to commonly used payload classes such as topoisomerase I inhibitors and tubulin agents becomes more apparent, the 2026 program places strong emphasis on differentiated payload mechanisms and novel ADC architectures. Sessions across the discovery and preclinical tracks explore non-cytotoxic payloads, dual payload conjugates, bispecific and biparatopic ADCs, and emerging non-antibody conjugate formats designed to widen therapeutic index and expand clinical utility.
Among the highlighted presentations, Ya-Chi Chen (Chief Scientific Officer, OBI Pharma) will discuss the development of bispecific, dual payload ADCs designed to deliver complementary mechanisms of action within a single molecule, to overcome tumor heterogeneity and resistance. Zhenwei Miao (Founder and Chairman, Adcoris Biopharma) will present on the rationale and preclinical development of dual payload ADCs targeting distinct resistance pathways, while Sam Murphy (Chief Executive Officer, Salubris Bio) will outline the translational development and early clinical dose escalation of a biparatopic ADC targeting 5T4.
Additional sessions examine conditional activation technologies, novel linker-payload strategies, and emerging conjugation approaches aimed at improving safety and therapeutic index, reinforcing the meeting’s focus on moving beyond incremental ADC optimization toward more fundamentally differentiated designs.
First-time presenting companies bringing fresh perspectives
The 16th World ADC London Summit also places deliberate emphasis on introducing new voices to the program. For the first time, companies including Adcoris Biopharma, ALX Oncology, Helix Biopharma, Radiance Biopharma, and Salubris Bio will present data and development strategies on the World ADC London stage. These contributions reflect the organizers’ commitment to spotlighting emerging ADC programs and alternative development philosophies alongside more established pipelines.
Presentations from these first-time contributors span payload innovation, novel targeting strategies, and translational lessons learned from advancing differentiated ADCs toward the clinic. By integrating these perspectives into the broader scientific narrative, the conference aims to foster critical discussion around how smaller and mid-sized companies are navigating differentiation, capital efficiency, and clinical risk in an increasingly competitive ADC landscape.
Expanding the ADC ecosystem: regulators, clinicians, & investors
In recognition of the increasingly interconnected nature of ADC development, the 2026 agenda broadens its speaker ecosystem to include greater representation from regulatory agencies, clinical experts, and the investment community. Regulatory perspectives are highlighted through sessions led by Christian Merz (Assessor, Non-Clinical and Quality, Antibody Therapeutics, Paul Ehrlich Institute), who will outline regulator expectations for ADC characterization, control strategies, and CMC submissions as conjugates grow more complex.
Clinical strategy is addressed through contributions from Paolo Tarantino (Clinical Research Fellow, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), who will examine emerging real-world and clinical data on ADC sequencing and combination strategies, with a focus on optimizing patient outcomes as ADCs move into earlier treatment lines. Complementing these scientific discussions, the ADC Licensing, Partnering, and Investment session brings together investors and business development leaders to explore how differentiation, risk, and data maturity are shaping ADC deal-making in 2026 and beyond.
The future of ADC development
As ADCs transition from niche targeted therapies toward broader standards of care, the 16th World ADC London 2026 Summit provides a timely forum to assess how the field must evolve to sustain innovation. By combining deep technical discussions on payloads, design, and manufacturing with clinical, regulatory, and commercial perspectives, the meeting reflects the multidisciplinary reality of modern ADC development.
With its globally diverse faculty, strong emphasis on differentiated ADC innovation, and expanded stakeholder engagement, the 16th World ADC London 2026 Summit is positioned as a key gathering for scientists and strategists seeking to navigate the next phase of ADC maturation and unlock the full therapeutic potential of this rapidly advancing modality.
As a reader of Bioconjugate Insights, you’re entitled to a 10% discount on delegate tickets – just use the discount code BIOCXADC10! You can find out more about the event here.
Want to know more about the journal or discuss a potential contribution? Come and chat to our editor, Lauren, who will be attending the summit, or drop an email to lauren.coyle@insights.bio.