HOUSTON and BETHESDA, Md., May 18, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RadioMedix, a clinical phase biotechnology company focused in the development of radiopharmaceuticals for targeted diagnosis and therapy of cancer, and AREVA Med, the AREVA medical subsidiary developing innovative therapies to fight cancer, announced today that they have entered into an agreement to co-develop a novel treatment against neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) using Targeted Alpha Therapy with lead-212 (212Pb).
Under the terms of the agreement, RadioMedix and AREVA Med will assess the efficacy of combining somatostatin analogs' neuroendocrine tumor targeting capabilities with the cell-killing potential of AREVA Med's lead-212 radionuclide. This approach, known as "Peptide Receptor Radio Therapy" (PRRT), has already been tested with beta emitting radioisotopes. The alpha emitters from lead-212's decay chain are expected to deliver superior clinical benefits to patients suffering from metastasized NETs where conventional methods, such as surgery or chemotherapy, have been ineffective.
"Development of the next generation of PRRT agents with Alpha emitters for targeted treatment of metastatic or inoperable neuroendocrine cancers is a natural next step in evolution of this treatment platform. Alpha PRRT will bring us closer to a 'cure' of this cancer and will provide significant new hope to our patients fighting this disease. Collaboration with AREVA Med will allow us to have a sustainable source of Alpha emitter 212Pb to achieve this goal," said Ebrahim S. Delpassand, M.D. RadioMedix Chairman and CEO.
This partnership will combine RadioMedix's expertise and assets in the development of NET diagnostic and treatments solutions and conducting clinical trials with AREVA Med's know-how in extracting, purifying, and delivering lead-212 for therapeutic applications as well as the expertise of Macrocyclics (AREVA Med's Texas-based affiliate) in designing and producing the targeting peptide.
Patrick Bourdet, CEO of AREVA Med, said: "Now that AREVA Med has established sustainable 212Pb production capacities, we are entering into a new stage of our development focused on expanding our targeted alpha therapy pipeline. In this promising context, we are delighted to partner with RadioMedix, as our complementary competencies and expertise will undoubtedly serve our common market goals."
More information at http://radiomedix.com, @RadioMedix, www.arevamed.com, @AREVAmed
MORE ABOUT AREVA Med
AREVA Med is an AREVA subsidiary created in 2009 to develop innovative therapies to fight cancer. AREVA Med has developed new processes for producing high-purity lead-212 (²¹²Pb), a rare radioactive isotope. 212Pb is currently at the heart of promising research projects in nuclear medicine to develop new treatments against cancer. The innovative approach, known as targeted alpha therapy (TAT), recognizes and destroys cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells. In 2011, AREVA Med acquired Macrocyclics, the global leader in high performance chelating agent technology. AREVA Med is also associated with world-class scientific partners, such as the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). In 2012, AREVA Med and Roche entered a strategic collaboration to create novel advanced alpha radioimmunotherapy treatments to target and kill certain very aggressive types of cancer cells. For more information: www.arevamed.com. Follow @AREVAmed on Twitter.
ABOUT RADIOMEDIX INC.
RadioMedix, Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company, based in Houston, Texas, focused on innovative targeted radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis, monitoring and therapy of cancer. The company is commercializing generator-produced radiopharmaceuticals based on Gallium-68 chemistry for PET imaging and therapeutic (Alpha and Beta) radiopharmaceuticals for targeted radionuclide therapy in cancer. RadioMedix has also established two service facilities for academic and industrial partners: cGMP Manufacturing Suite for human clinical trials and probe development and small animal Molecular Imaging Facility for evaluation of agents in animal models. More information at http://radiomedix.com. Follow @RadioMedix on Twitter.