Current Status of Marine-Derived Compounds as Warheads in Anti-Tumor Drug Candidates

In this review, we have attempted to describe all of the antibody-drug conjugates using a marine-derived compound as the "warhead", that are currently in clinical trials as listed in the current version of the NIH clinical trials database (clinicaltrials.gov). In searching this database, we used the beta-test version currently available, as it permitted more specific search parameters, since the regular version did not always find trials that had been completed in the past with some agents. We also added small discussion sections on candidates that are still at the preclinical stage, including a derivative of diazonamide that has an unusual interaction with tubulin (DZ-23840), which may also be a potential warhead in the future.