In this issue of the Magazine of European Medical Oncology (MEMO), we provide a series of articles on new targeted therapies and small molecules.

The challenging decision-making process for targeted therapies is discussed in the article “Tracking mutation and drug-driven alterations of oncokinase conformations” by Feichtner et al. Here, the authors discuss the implementation of a cell-based reporter system which may foster the decision-making process to identify the most promising lead-molecules [1].

New targeted therapies in kidney cancer are discussed by Mayrhofer et al. as the treatment landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade. The combination of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor lenvatinib and the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab is highly effective, and based on the current data, the new first-line treatment in patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma [2].

An overview on the currently approved antibody–drug conjugates, a new class of highly potent therapeutic molecules, is provided by M.-B. Aretin in the article “Antibody–drug conjugates—the magic bullets?” [3].

Further details on antibody–drug conjugates targeting TROP‑2 in triple-negative breast cancer is given by M. Marhold in the article “Current state of clinical development of TROP2-directed antibody–drug conjugates for triple-negative breast cancer” [4].

The series is completed by a case report of A.H. Al Sharie et al. on the systemic capillary leak syndrome following granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy in a T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma patient [5].

Overall, a number of highly comprehensive articles providing insight into currently available and new targeted therapies/small molecules in oncology are available in the current issue.