Click HERE to download the PDF version

INTRODUCTION

Conjugation is a powerful tool that drug discovery and development experts use to achieve various goals:
Optimization of the ligand-receptor interaction
Receptor targeting
Controlled-release drug delivery and improved drug pharmacology
Increased drug plasma half-life and decreased cytotoxicity
Overcoming solubility challenges
Conjugates could be any covalent combination between two types of molecules which could be anything from proteins, peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, and oligonucleotides to small molecules, including cytotoxics. Each of these product categories are characterized by specific chemistries. Therefore conjugation involving two or more of these product categories requires skills to perform the necessary conjugation chemistry and product isolation: protection/deprotection steps, activation, coupling reaction, work-up and isolation (nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, preparative HPLC, precipitation or lyophi ...