ASCO 2026: Astellas innovates in ADCs and T Cell engagers, with Tony Jarkowski

In our final video from ASCO 2026, Astellas’s Tony Jarkowski, SVP and primary focus lead for immune-oncology, chats with pharmaphorum’s Jonah Comstock about the Japanese pharma company’s overarching goal of improving response rates and durability for difficult-to-treat tumours, and some of the specific technology they’re employing in that pursuit.

That includes iADCs, a new kind of antibody-drug conjugate that adds a STING antagonist to enhance the efficacy of the payload. It also includes multiple efforts in the T Cell engager space in both GI and prostate cancers.

Jarkowski also details the company’s ASCO data on enfortumab in bladder cancer, and talks about the ASCO trend he’s most excited about: the progress being made in areas that have been historically difficult, like pancreatic cancer. 

Hear more about Astellas in the full interview below.