In Vivo Antitumor Activity of a Novel Acetazolamide–Cryptophycin Conjugate for the Treatment of Renal Cell Carcinomas

[Image: see text] Traditional chemotherapeutics used in cancer therapy do not preferentially accumulate in tumor tissues. The conjugation to delivery vehicles like antibodies or small molecules has been proposed as a strategy to increase the tumor uptake and improve the therapeutic window of these drugs. Here, we report the synthesis and the biological evaluation of a novel small molecule–drug conjugate (SMDC) comprising a high-affinity bidentate acetazolamide derivative, targeting carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), and cryptophycin, a potent microtubule destabilizer. The biological activity of the novel SMDC was evaluated in vitro, measuring binding to the CAIX antigen by surface plasmon resonance and cytotoxicity against SKRC-52 cells. In vivo studies showed a delayed growth of tumors in nude mice bearing SKRC-52 renal cell carcinomas.