Gail Lewis

Distinguished Scientist, Discovery Oncology Genentech

For more than 30 years, Dr. Gail Lewis has headed a tumor cell biology/preclinical drug development lab in Genentech Research. She was hired at Genentech to investigate cytokine-mediated tumor cell killing and mechanisms of resistance. The outcome of this work, in collaboration with UCLA and MSKCC, was the development and approvals of trastuzumab (Herceptin®) and pertuzumab (Perjeta®) for treating HER2-positive breast cancer.

Following the approval of trastuzumab, Gail focused her efforts on nascent ADCs. She investigated different targets, antibody formats, and linker-drug combinations, with the focus primarily on HER2. This work led to the development and approval of trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla®). Gail has continued to work on ADCs for HER2 as well as additional targets, with an expanded arsenal of novel linker-drugs. Gail’s lab’s expertise now encompasses not only HER2+ breast cancer but other solid tumor types as well as hematologic malignancies.

Seminars

Tuesday 4th November 2025
Unveiling Novel Payload & ADC Design Attributes & Performance for Next Generation ADC Targeting & Tolerability
6:45 pm
  • Highlighting the drivers for ADC development beyond traditional cytotoxic payloads
  • Detailing development and design of more well-tolerated ADCs with improved therapeutic index and defined patient populations
  • Showcasing late-stage preclinical development of novel ADC programs preparing for IND applications
Tuesday 4th November 2025
Panelists:
  • Evaluating the landscape of ADC therapies: is the risk of innovation now lower than the risk of irrelevancy?
  • Assessing hurdles and opportunities to achieve differentiated ADC profiles in crowded ADC payload and target fields
  • Delving into novel ADC payloads: what new MoAs are emerging and what has been demonstrated so far?
  • Understanding perspectives on the future of ADC development across ADC design, targeting, and precision medicine approaches
Tuesday 4th November 2025
Chair:

Download the Full Event Guide for full details

Gail Lewis - 16th World ADC San Diego