Tagworks Pharmaceuticals

Tagworks Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage precision oncology company pioneering 'Click-to-Release' bioorthogonal chemistry. This proprietary platform enables the controlled, on-target release of potent drug payloads (such as toxins in ADCs or radiation in radiopharmaceuticals) directly within the tumor microenvironment. By using a two-step process—administering a targeting agent followed by a small-molecule trigger—Tagworks can target non-internalizing tumor markers that are inaccessible to traditional antibody-drug conjugates. Spun out of Philips Healthcare in 2011, the company is leveraging Nobel Prize-winning click chemistry research to expand the therapeutic window of systemic treatments. Their approach aims to reduce off-target toxicity while increasing the efficacy of treatments for solid tumors, including breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers.