ATONCO (Saint-Herblain, France) and Minerva Imaging (Oelstykke, Denmark) are pleased to announce a close collaboration to join forces in the fight against bladder cancer. Minerva Imaging will produce clinical doses for ATONCO’s planned Phase I clinical trial in Europe, using alpha-immunotherapy with 211At-Girentuximab (TLX250 licensed from Telix Pharmaceutical, radiolabelled with astatine-211).
This targeted radionuclide therapy is a precision medicine approach in which the radioactive substance is attached to a targeting moiety against Carbonic Anhydrase IX (CAIX). The use of alpha-particle-emitting radionuclides has attracted significant medical interest in oncology due to their short path length and high linear energy transfer, resulting in double-strand DNA breaks and high cytotoxicity. Astatine-211 possesses unique properties as an alpha-particle-emitting payload for targeted radionuclide therapies, thanks to its relatively short half-life, favorable decay chain, and scalable production.
Sylvain Fanier, President of ATONCO: “We are delighted to continue the global development of alpha-immunotherapy targeting non-muscle-invasive bladder cancers (NMIBC). Since our founding in 2019, ATONCO has focused on building a world-class team and establishing all the tools and technologies necessary to enable innovative precision medicine treatments based on astatine-211. We consider astatine-211 to be part of our DNA. ATONCO is fully committed to advancing the fight against cancer with a Phase I clinical trial involving our targeted alpha therapy using astatine-211.”
Carsten Haagen Nielsen, CEO of Minerva Imaging: “With the recent opening of our CDMO facility, we are able to manufacture radiopharmaceutical drugs in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). For the Phase I clinical trial using 211At-Girentuximab, we will source At-211 from Rigshospitalet. The proximity of Rigshospitalet and Minerva Imaging (less than 60 minutes by car) makes us the ideal European partner for ATONCO, and we look forward to contributing to the advancement of the clinical application of At-211-based targeted radionuclide therapies“.
About Minerva Imaging
Minerva Imaging is a science-driven CRO and CDMO specializing in targeted radionuclide therapies. The company focuses on the use of advanced models in oncology, cardiovascular diseases, and in vivo molecular imaging for translational research and drug development. Minerva Imaging is committed to understanding its clients’ scientific questions and discussing how its methods and capabilities can address them. The Danish facility offers best-in-class, fully integrated radiopharmaceutical research, drug development, and manufacturing services.
For more information, please visit www.minervaimaging.com
About ATONCO
ATONCO is a French private company developing targeted molecular radiation products for oncological applications. Originating from the world-renowned 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, please visit www.atonco-pharma.com