AXL and cancer: Given AXL’s role in driving tumor progression and treatment resistance across multiple cancers (including lung, breast, pancreatic, esophageal, and hematologic malignancies) [169, 170], this ADC employs AXL-mediated cellular uptake, protease-mediated linker cleavage, and PBD-induced DNA interstrand cross-links to induce mitotic blockade and apoptosis.