ADC Therapeutics SA (ADCT)

From university-backed research into targeted cancer molecules to a now-public biopharmaceutical company, ADC Therapeutics traces its origins to the work done at University College London, where Cancer Research UK supported development of pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) technology. In 2000, that foundation led to the creation of Spirogen Ltd. When ADC Therapeutics was spun out as its own entity in 2011, it inherited both the PBD platform and a focused mission: to build antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) that could target cancer cells with precision.

The company spent over a decade in development mode, refining its approach to ADCs—therapies that work by attaching potent cancer-fighting chemicals to antibodies that recognize specific cancer cell markers. By concentrating on hematologic malignancies, ADC Therapeutics narrowed its focus rather than pursuing the broader, more crowded oncology landscape. This discipline paid off when its lead candidate, loncastuximab tesirine, received accelerated approval from the FDA in April 2021 under the brand name ZYNLONTA. The drug targets CD19, a protein abundant on B-cell lymphomas, and was approved for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) after multiple prior treatments—a pivotal moment that transformed the company from clinical-stage aspiration into commercial reality.

Since that milestone, ADC Therapeutics transitioned from a development entity into a commercial operator. It lists on the NYSE under ticker ADCT and maintains headquarters in Epalinges, Switzerland. ZYNLONTA generates revenue primarily in the United States, with international expansion through partnerships. The company simultaneously pursues trials to expand ZYNLONTA into earlier lines of therapy and additional lymphoma subtypes, while advancing a pipeline of next-generation ADCs including programs targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) for solid tumors. In late 2025, the company raised capital through a private placement to reinforce its balance sheet and accelerate commercialization efforts. What began as academic proof of concept evolved into a machinery for manufacturing and selling targeted cancer therapies, positioned between the laboratories of discovery and the clinical realities of bringing oncology products to patients and markets.

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