# Exo-Cleavable Linkers: Enhanced Stability and Therapeutic Efficacy in Antibody–Drug Conjugates

*PRI Rank #14 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/monoclonal-and-polyclonal-antibodies-research/2026/rank-14*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #14 |
| 18m citations | 46 |
| Journal | Journal of Medicinal Chemistry |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01251 |
| Corresponding authors | Yutaka Matsuda |
| Institution | Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Japan |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/monoclonal-and-polyclonal-antibodies-research/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01251](https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c01251)

## Topics

antibody-drug conjugate · exolinker · valine-citrulline linker · p-aminobenzylcarbamate · Drug-to-antibody ratio · premature payload release · hydrophobicity-induced aggregation · glutamic acid hydrophilic spacer · cleavable peptide linker · carboxylesterase stability · human neutrophil elastase · Cytotoxic payload · circulatory stability · tumor payload release · exo position repositioning · in vivo ADC profile · DAR improvement · linker design

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/monoclonal-and-polyclonal-antibodies-research/2026. Accessed 2026-07-15.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```