MELBOURNE, Australia and DRESDEN, Germany, Jan. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (“Telix”) is pleased to announce a product development partnership with Therapeia GmbH & Co KG (“Therapeia”). Telix will add Therapeia’s ACD-101 theranostic program for glioblastoma to its pipeline of advanced theranostic radiopharmaceutical products. Telix also has secured the option to acquire Therapeia under pre-agreed terms. The financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.
ACD-101 is a synthetic amino acid that targets the L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), which is strongly over-expressed in many aggressive malignancies, including glioblastoma, multiple myeloma, melanoma, gastric, breast, prostate and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ACD-101 has been studied clinically with both diagnostic radiolabels (for imaging with Positron Emission Tomography – PET) and therapeutic radionuclides. ACD-101 demonstrates favourable therapeutic biodistribution and kinetics, and is actively transported across the intact blood-brain-barrier into tumour cells. ACD-101 potentially offers therapeutic benefit as a monotherapy, and in conjunction with other therapeutic agents, including radiotherapies (external beam therapy, microspheres, brachytherapy, etc.), due to its radiosensitization effect.
CEO Chris Behrenbruch stated, “ACD-101 is a unique multi-action agent that has the potential to deliver something really new to the management of several very challenging malignancies, particularly glioblastoma. Early patient experience in Germany has demonstrated promising therapeutic results and we are excited to be working with the Therapeia team to take this program forward to Phase II and beyond.”
Therapeia Managing Director, Dr. Andreas Kluge added, “We are delighted become part of the Telix team and to add this program to Telix’s stable of theranostic radiopharmaceuticals. The radiopharmaceutical space has lacked commercial critical mass for decades, and has only just started to gain the clinical and product development momentum it truly deserves. Only by building a portfolio of best-in-class products and financing them appropriately, can we expect to see the field deliver on its enormous clinical potential.” Dr. Kluge joins Telix as a Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer.1
About ACD-101
ACD-101 is a synthetic amino acid that targets the L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), which is over-expressed in many malignancies, including glioblastoma, multiple myeloma and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). LAT1 forms part of the tumour metabolome, harnessed by tumour cells to grow at the expense of surrounding healthy cells. LAT1 has been recently identified as promising drug target in oncology. Over a hundred patients have been successfully imaged with ACD-101 to study biodistribution and kinetics, including in patients with inoperable brain tumours. Clinical pilot studies for the therapeutic forms of ACD-101 have commenced in Europe.
In glioma, ACD-101 is actively transported over the intact blood-brain-barrier into tumour cells overexpressing LAT1, conveying a unique triple mode of action consisting of 1) a targeted radiation toxicity, when administering radiolabeled forms of ACD-101 (131I, 211At), 2) a direct cytostatic effect combined with 3) an intrinsic radiosensitizer effect, enhancing the activity of both, internal and external radiation therapy. The fact, that pathologically increased amino acid uptake is central function in any tumour disease, suggests that ACD-101 may have very broad clinical applicability.
About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (“Telix”) is a clinical-stage biopharamaceutical company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. Telix is developing an advanced portfolio of clinical-stage products that address significant unmet medical need in oncology, particularly renal, prostate and brain (glioblastoma) cancer. Telix’s pipeline consists of “theranostic” radiopharmaceuticals, agents that can be used both diagnostically (via PET imaging) and therapeutically to patient benefit. Telix is an unlisted public company. For more information go to www.telixpharma.com.
About Therapeia GmbH & Co KG
Therapeia is a privately-held company headquartered in Dresden, Germany. Founded by Dr. Andreas Kluge, it is developing ACD101 for both imaging and therapy, in several important oncology settings.
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1 Dr. Kluge remains the CEO of ABX CRO, a leading radiopharmaceutical clinical research organisation