MC1R

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.

▎药明康德内容团队编辑 日前，Perspective Therapeutics公司公布了在研潜在“first-in-class”核药疗法VMT01的1/2期临床试验的最新结果。试验结果显示，在接受低剂量VMT01治疗的黑色素瘤患者中观察到持久的无进展生存期。该公司将进一步探索更低剂量的VMT01作为单药，或与抗PD-1抗体联用，在肿瘤微环境中的免疫刺激活性。 VMT01是一款靶向MC1R的核药疗法，使用同位素铅释放α粒子。在临床前研究中这一疗法具有两种不同的作用机制，在高剂量下可直接杀死细胞，在低剂量下可通过免疫刺激诱导免疫介导的细胞死亡，并且这一效果可被免疫检查点抑制剂增强。 在这项1/2期临床研究中，接受过多种前期治疗的MC1R阳性黑色素瘤患者分为两组，分别接受了低剂量和高剂量VMT01的治疗。试验结果显示，安全性方面，所有患者中均未观察到剂量限制性毒性，没有不良事件导致治疗中断，大部分治疗伴发不良事件（TEAE）为1到2级。 疗效方面，在低剂量组的3名患者中，一名患者获得部分缓解，两名患者在接受治疗9个月和11个月后保持疾病稳定。在高剂量组的7名患者中，所有患者均在接受一次或两次治疗后疾病出现进展。新闻稿指出，这些发现与低剂量VMT01激发免疫刺激活性一致。 安全性监察委员会在评估了这些发现后，建议使用更低剂量的VMT01作为单药，或与抗PD-1抗体nivolumab联用进行下一步研究。目前这两个患者队列正在招募患者。 ▲欲了解更多前沿技术在生物医药产业中的应用，请长按扫描上方二维码，即可访问“药明直播间”，观看相关话题的直播讨论与精彩回放 参考资料： [1] Perspective Therapeutics to Advance Investigation of Potential First-In-Class Radiopharmaceutical Therapy [212Pb]VMT01 Based on Data Presented at the 21st International Congress of the Society for Melanoma Research. Retrieved October 11, 2024, from https://perspectivetherapeutics.com/newsroom/press-release?i=139171 [2] Perspective’s early data on lead-based radiopharma asset suggest lower dose did better. Retrieved October 11, 2024, from https://endpts.com/perspectives-early-data-on-lead-based-radiopharma-asset-suggest-lower-dose-did-better/ 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。 版权说明：本文来自药明康德内容团队，欢迎个人转发至朋友圈，谢绝媒体或机构未经授权以任何形式转载至其他平台。转载授权请在「药明康德」微信公众号回复“转载”，获取转载须知。 分享，点赞，在看，聚焦全球生物医药健康创新