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News
A new antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), TUB-040, is turning heads in ovarian cancer treatment. In the phase 1/2a NAPISTAR 1-01 trial, it achieved a 58.2% objective response rate and an 11-month median progression-free survival in platinum-resistant patients — with responses holding regardless of NaPi2b expression level. That means no biomarker screening required, simplifying its potential path to widespread use.
A promising new antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) called TUB-040 is making waves in the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Data from the phase 1/2a NAPISTAR 1-01 trial, presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, showed that TUB-040 — which targets the protein NaPi2b — delivered impressive efficacy regardless of how much NaPi2b a patient's tumor expressed. Since NaPi2b is present in over 95% of ovarian cancers, this effectively means no biomarker testing is needed before treatment, streamlining the drug's potential clinical rollout.
Investigators also highlighted TUB-040's favorable safety profile, noting its linker stability gives it a wide therapeutic window with minimal high-grade toxicity — a feature that opens the door to future combination strategies with chemotherapy agents like carboplatin.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: With one of the highest ORRs and most durable responses seen in this setting, TUB-040 could become a major competitor in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer — a space with few good options. Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials are already in the pipeline.
