Algeta ASA, a company focused on the development of novel targeted cancer therapeutics, has been awarded a NOK 10.5 million (USD 1.9 million) grant from the Research Council of Norway to develop Targeted Thorium Conjugates (TTCs), novel tumor-targeted alpha-pharmaceuticals based on thorium-227.
Thomas Ramdahl, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, commented: "In our early preclinical feasibility studies, thorium-227 has shown great promise as an effective therapeutic payload. We will use this grant to build on this research to support the development of Targeted Thorium Conjugates (TTCs), which may provide us with a new way to generate improved anticancer agents.”
The grant has been awarded through the BIA program that funds research-based innovation projects independent of the industry from which they come. This broad program supports high-quality R&D projects which could deliver good business and socio-economic benefits. The grant is subject to final negotiations with the Council.
About the Thorium platform
Thorium-227, the basis for Algeta’s second alpha-pharmaceutical technology, is an element (radionuclide) that emits high-energy alpha particles. Such elements are of considerable interest in the treatment of cancer as they are potent at killing tumor cells and have a highly localized effect as a result of the very short range of the alpha particle (2-10 cell diameters).
Several current top-selling cancer drugs are based on 'naked' monoclonal antibodies, but it is clear that next-generation products will require cancer-killing payloads to maximize the effectiveness of therapy. Thorium-227 is linked to tumor-targeting molecules, such as monoclonal antibodies, to reach its target. By conjugating thorium-227 to a number of such molecules, each with a different tumor target, Algeta is exploring the potential to create a pipeline of Targeted Thorium Conjugates (TTCs), a new-generation of alpha-pharmaceuticals that specifically seek and destroy cancers while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
Importantly, the direct tumor cell killing action of alpha-pharmaceuticals potentially overcomes drug-resistance mechanisms. In addition, they cause a localized 'bystander effect', whereby tumor cells adjacent to those bound by the alpha-pharmaceutical may also be destroyed even if they do not bind the drug themselves.
To date, Algeta has signed a research collaboration to develop TTCs with Genzyme and an exclusive licence with Affibody.
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