ATONCO S.A.S. (‘ATONCO’) today announces that it has entered into a clinical research partnership agreement with the Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest (ICO Nantes Angers) for the clinical study of its CA-IX-binding antibody, ⁸⁹Zr-girentuximab, using PET imaging, to document the absence of radioactivity extravasation into the general circulation after intravesical instillation, and to visualize targeted papillary tumors.
This imaging and dosimetry study using ⁸⁹Zr-girentuximab is considered a “clinical proof of concept” prior to the subsequent therapeutic use of astatine-211 in a Phase I/II clinical development.
The clinical project will enroll 6 patients (3 men and 3 women), and builds on the licensing and development agreement between Telix and ATONCO, allowing ATONCO to study the use of Telix’s intellectual property, Molecularly Targeted Radiation (MTR), for the treatment of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer resistant to standard therapies.
Under the agreement, ATONCO holds a license to conduct R&D activities on girentuximab radiolabelled with At-211 for the intravesical treatment of bladder cancer resistant to chemotherapy or BCG, and the subsequent commercialization of this product, if the activities are successful.
ATONCO will accelerate its therapeutic development targeting BCG-resistant bladder cancer. Dr Caroline Rousseau, Head of the Nuclear Medicine Department at the ICO (Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest) in Nantes, the clinical site and study sponsor, will lead the feasibility study as Principal Investigator.
The unmet clinical need of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer refractory to BCG or chemotherapy aligns well with the radiophysical characteristics of astatine-211, with tumor targets rapidly accessible after intravesical instillation of girentuximab, consisting of thin superficial tumor layers matching the short path length of alpha particles. This alpha-immunotherapy should help avoid highly discomforting radical cystectomies, thereby prolonging life and improving the quality of life of our bladder cancer patients. We are confident this is the first successful step in our partnership with the ICO.
Jean-François Chatal, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of ATONCO
We are delighted to partner with the ICO, one of the most respected clinical institutions in oncology, and to develop with our local academic and preclinical CRO partners in Nantes an innovative Molecularly Targeted Radiation (MTR) solution to improve the management of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
Sylvain Fanier, Chairman of ATONCO
In 2018, bladder cancer was the fifth most common cancer in the United States, with an estimated 82,501 new cases diagnosed and 17,755 deaths resulting from bladder cancer.
About the Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest (ICO)
The ICO is a non-profit cancer centre with 1,400 professionals dedicated to fighting cancer. It welcomes nearly 48,000 patients per year and fulfils the mission and service of a public hospital. With its four missions – Prevention, Care, Research, and Education – the ICO offers broad and specialized expertise exclusively dedicated to oncology.
The integration of care, research, and innovation is an integral part of the ICO. Research activities, which constitute a specific mission of the ICO, are undertaken from concept through to clinical trials, across all oncology disciplines: medical oncology, radiotherapy, surgery, anaesthesia, nuclear medicine, medical imaging, supportive care, and human sciences. Patients treated at the ICO benefit from privileged access to cutting-edge clinical trials. The Innovation Centre, opened in 2021, supports internal and external projects from concept through to operational deployment.
For more information, visit www.institut-cancerologie-ouest.com
About ATONCO
ATONCO is a French private company developing molecularly targeted radiopharmaceutical products for oncological applications. Originating from the world-class nuclear medicine centre in Nantes, ATONCO and its partners are committed to the clinical use of alpha-emitting radionuclides, particularly astatine-211 (²¹¹At).
For more information, visit www.atonco-pharma.com