# Duocarmycin (seco-DUBA)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/duocarmycin/  
OnCo record `duocarmycin` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Duocarmycins are a DNA-alkylating payload family that damages DNA directly rather than through cell division, so they work in slow-growing tumours.

## Summary

Duocarmycins bind the minor groove and alkylate adenine. Because the mechanism does not depend on cell division, the class is attractive for indolent cancers and for tumours resistant to tubulin or topoisomerase payloads. Trastuzumab duocarmazine (SYD985) showed activity in HER2-positive breast cancer but ocular toxicity and a regulatory rejection in 2023 stalled it.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-09
- Also known as: duocarmazine payload; seco-DUBA; duocarmazine

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duocarmycin
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duocarmycin

## Connected records

- technologies: [Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)](https://onco.cc/technologies/adc/)
- terms: [DNA alkylator payloads](https://onco.cc/terms/dna-alkylator-payloads/), [Payload (ADC)](https://onco.cc/terms/payload/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/duocarmycin.json