Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are therapeutics that combine an antibody with a cytotoxic payload via a chemical linker to specifically target certain cells. Tumor-associated mucin-1 (TA-MUC1) is a glycosylated form of the MUC1 protein that is expressed in several cancer cells, thus being an interesting target for ADC development.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with few successful treatment options. HCC development is associated with established risk factors, including metabolic dysregulation, repeated insults by hepatotoxins or infection by hepatotropic viruses.

Despite the increasing sophistication of anticancer therapies, many malignancies continue to evade treatment. T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) can effectively attack some tumors by recognizing antigens expressed on the tumor surface, but the therapy may prove ineffective if the target antigen is not abundant enough throughout the tumor.