GRPR

▎药明康德内容团队报道 Starget Pharma近日宣布，该公司已从Cancer Focus Fund获得510万美元投资。Starget Pharma是一家临床阶段生物技术公司，致力于开发多肽类放射配体疗法。Cancer Focus Fund是一家独特的投资基金，由MD安德森癌症中心（MD Anderson）合作成立。 根据新闻稿，本轮投资资金将用以支持肽类放射性配体疗法DOTA-PTR-58的1b期临床研究，用于治疗过度表达生长抑素受体3型（SSTR-3）的肿瘤，包括肉瘤、神经内分泌肿瘤（NET）、黑色素瘤和肝细胞癌。该试验将在MD Anderson和其他中心进行，并将于2025年初开始招募患者。 Starget Pharma正在利用其专有的Backbone Dynamics平台开发肽类放射性配体疗法。Backbone Dynamics是一种创新的多肽放射配体药物设计平台，使用专有的骨干环化技术（backbone cyclic）来创建具有更高稳定性、选择性和药代动力学的智能靶向放射配体。这些配体分子可以靶向潜在的肿瘤特异性靶点。 DOTA-PTR-58是一种超激动剂放射配体，其具有亚纳米级亲和力，可以选择性靶向SSTR-3，该受体在多种肿瘤类型中高表达，包括肉瘤、黑色素瘤、NET和肝细胞癌。与更常见的SSTR-2靶点不同，SSTR-3在正常组织中的表达较低，从而为相应的药物提供了更广泛的治疗窗口。DOTA-PTR-58包含了用Ga-68同位素成像和用Lu-177同位素、225Ac同位素治疗。在早期研究中，该分子表现出了较高的体内肿瘤摄取和内化、靶点选择性和显著的抗肿瘤活性。 除了DOTA-PTR-58，Starget公司还在推进一系列靶向放射性疗法，用以治疗难治性癌症。根据Starget公司官网，该公司研发管线中还包括了其他三款放射性疗法，靶向CCK2R、GRPR等，针对的癌症类型包括了乳腺癌、肺癌、胃肠道间质瘤等。 参考资料： [1] Starget Pharma and Cancer Focus Fund Announce $5.1 Million Investment to Support Phase 1b Clinical Trial of Novel Peptide Radioligand for Precision Cancer Therapy. Retrieved Oct 23, 2024, from https://stargetpharma.com/starget-pharma-and-cancer-focus-fund-announce-5-1-million-investment-to-support-phase-1b-clinical-trial-of-novel-peptide-radioligand-for-precision-cancer-therapy/ 本文由药明康德内容团队根据公开资料整理编辑，欢迎个人转发至朋友圈。转发授权及其他合作需求，请联系wuxi_media@wuxiapptec.com。 免责声明：药明康德内容团队专注介绍全球生物医药健康研究进展。本文仅作信息交流之目的，文中观点不代表药明康德立场，亦不代表药明康德支持或反对文中观点。本文也不是治疗方案推荐。如需获得治疗方案指导，请前往正规医院就诊。

Alpha-9 Oncology has raised $175m in a Series C funding round to advance its pipeline of radiopharmaceuticals. Credit: eamesBot via Shutterstock. Alpha-9 Oncology is the latest radiopharma to raise funds, drawing in $175m in Series C financing, to advance its radiopharmaceutical candidates through clinical trials and expand its research and development (R&D) capabilities. Vancouver, Canada-based Alpha-9 shared that it will advance its pipeline of preclinical candidates to the “clinic-ready” stage. While the company has not disclosed which of its assets in particular will be advanced, the company has several preclinical programs targeting MC1R, PSMA, GRPR, CXCR4, and B1R, as per GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center. In May 2024, Alpha-9 announced the dosing of the first patient in its Phase I study for the MC1R programme, dubbed A9-3202. This peptide-based radiopharmaceutical targets the melanocortin 1 receptor for imaging locally advanced or metastatic melanoma. The trial is evaluating A9-3202’s tumour uptake and distribution in normal tissue among participants with melanoma. This latest financing comes after a flood of investment into the radiopharma arena over the last few years. Earlier this month, Aktis Oncology raised $175m to support the development of its new radiopharmaceuticals, including a first-in-class Nectin-4-targeted miniprotein radioconjugate. Big pharma has jumped on the radiopharma train too, with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), Novartis , and Eli Lilly signing acquisition deals worth $4.2bn , $1.75bn , and $1.4bn, respectively. Alpha-9’s Series C – co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Ascenta Capital – builds on a $75m Series B in December 2022, and a $8.9m Series A in 2021, three years after the company spun-out from the University of British Columbia. Other participating investors in this round included a16z Bio + Health, RA Capital Management, Janus Henderson Investors and Samsara BioCapital. See Also: UPFs fuelling ‘alarming rise of chronic diseases’ in india FDA grants ODD to Modalis’ MDL-101 to treat LAMA2-CMD Alpha-9 said its funding will also support ongoing investments in its discovery capabilities, as well as the expansion of manufacturing and isotope supply partnerships. The company recently completed the construction of a manufacturing facility in Vancouver, Canada. Last month, Telix Pharmaceuticals paid $230m upfront to acquire US-based radioisotope manufacturer RLS Radiopharmacies to expand its manufacturing footprint in the US. Venture financing for innovative radiopharmaceutical drugs has witnessed an approximately 550% increase from $63m in 2017 to $408m in 2023 YTD (year-to-date) total deal value in the US, according to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center Deals Database. GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology. In the announcement accompanying the financing, Alpha-9’s CEO David Hirsch said: “Over the last few years, Alpha-9 has built a leading radiopharmaceutical company with a deep pipeline and robust infrastructure.”

Another private radiopharmaceutical biotech has raised big money. Alpha-9 Oncology revealed on Wednesday that it’s put together a $175 million Series C, aiming to fund clinical trials for programs that are ready to be tested in humans and to advance preclinical candidates to the “clinic-ready” stage. The raise highlights the continuation of a strong interest in radiopharmaceuticals from large pharma companies, startups and venture capital. Alpha-9’s $175 million raise matches a Series B by Aktis Oncology last month, with multiple firms contributing to both rounds. It’s not immediately clear which of Alpha-9’s programs are expected to enter the clinic with the new fundraise. Execs previously told Endpoints News in 2022 that the company had five programs going after the cancer targets PSMA, MC1R, CXCR4, B1R and GRPR, with the PSMA program furthest along. But this past May, Alpha-9 announced the first patient had been dosed in a Phase 1 study for the MC1R program, called A9-3202. That trial is researching the compound’s effect in locally advanced or metastatic melanoma. Alpha-9 hasn’t previously announced any other trial launches, and a company spokesperson would only say that “multiple programs” have entered the clinic since the Series B. Wednesday’s financing was co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Ascenta Capital. Other participating investors included a16z Bio + Health, RA Capital Management, Janus Henderson Investors and Samsara BioCapital.