Date: 2012-11-29
Type of information: Initiation of preclinical development
phase: preclinical
Announcement: initiation
Company: Actinium Pharmaceuticals (USA) Philogen (Italy)
Product: L19 antibody construct labeled with actinium 225
Action
mechanism: L19 is Philogen’s proprietary monoclonal antibody platform that targets certain isoforms of fibronectin, an adhesion molecule necessary for growth of cancer blood vessels. Philogen has developed several formats of the L19 antibody as well as several antibody-payload combinations to utilize depending on the characteristics of the target cancer’s vasculature.
Actinium-225 decays by giving off high-energy alpha particles, which kill cancer cells. When actinium decays, it produces a series of daughter atoms, each of which gives off its own alpha article, increasing the chances that the cancer cell will be destroyed. The technology was first demonstrated by Dr. David Scheinberg at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Disease: glioblastoma multiforme
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
Country:
Trial details:
Latest
news: Actinium Pharmaceuticals nd Philogen have commenced pre-clinical development of Philogen’s L19 antibody construct labeled with actinium 225 as a therapeutic payload. The L19 antibody targets newly formed blood vessels that otherwise allow cancers to grow. If successful, this approach will further expand the field of use of alpha emitters. Actinium Pharmaceuticals and Philogen intend to add antiangiogenesis to ths growing field of use of alpha emitters.
Antiangiogenesis is a successful approach to treating numerous cancer types. Currently approved antiangiogenesis drugs act mostly by interfering with the signaling pathway used by cancer cells to stimulate growth of blood vessels. In manycases, cancer cells eventually find alternative ways to spur blood vessel growth. In contrast, Philogen’s L19 targets adhesion molecules that anchor blood vessel cells which makes it less susceptible to cancer controlled pathways. Depending on the architecture of vasculature and its proximity to cancer stem cells, actinium 225 coupled with L19 could potentially offer an effective combination of properties tailor made for certain solid cancer types. The first model under consideration is glioblastoma multiforme, a difficult to treat form of brain cancer.
