ATONCO (Saint Herblain, France) and Minerva Imaging (Oelstykke, Denmark), are pleased to announce a close collaboration to combine their strengths to fight bladder cancer. Minerva Imaging will produce clinical doses for the planned European ATONCO Phase I alpha-immunotherapy clinical trial using ²¹¹At-Girentuximab (TLX250 licenced fromTelix Pharmaceutical radiolabeled with Astatine-211).

This targeted radionuclide therapy is a precision medicine where the radioactive substance is attached to a targeting moiety against Carbonic Anhydrase IX (CAIX). The use of alpha particle-emitting radionuclides is of great medical interest in oncology due to their short path length and high linear energy transfer leading to DNA double-strand breaks and high cytotoxicity. ²¹¹-At has unique properties as alpha-emitting payload for targeted radionuclide therapies with its relatively short half-life, a favorable decay chain and scalable production.

Sylvain Fanier, President of ATONCO, states: “We are excited to pursue the worldwide development of alpha-immunotherapy targeting non-muscle invasive bladder cancers (NMIBC). Since our foundation in 2019 ATONCO has focussed on building a world-class team and establishing all the required tools and technologies to enable novel precision medicine treatments based on Astatine-211. We consider Astatine-211 to be part of our DNA.  ATONCO is fully committed to advancing the fight against cancer with a Phase I clinical trial involving our targeted alpha therapy using Astatine-211.”

Carsten Haagen Nielsen, CEO of Minerva Imaging, emphasizes the importance of the collaboration:“With the recent opening of our CDMO facility we are able to manufacture radiopharmaceutical drugs in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). For the ²¹¹At-Girentuximab phase I clinical trial we will be sourcing At-211 from Rigshospitalet. With the close proximity of Rigshospitalet and Minerva Imaging (less than 60 minutes by car) we are the ideal European collaboration partner for ATONCO and we look forward to being part of advancing the clinical application of At-211-based targeted radionuclide therapies.”

About Minerva Imaging:

Minerva Imaging is a scientifically driven CRO and CDMO specialized in targeted radionuclide therapies. The company focusses on the use of advanced models within oncology, cardiovascular diseases and in vivo molecular imaging for translational research and drug development. Minerva Imaging engages with its clients to understand their scientific questions and discuss how its methods and capabilities can provide answers. The facility located in Denmark offers best–in–industry, fully integrated radiopharmaceutical research, drug development and manufacturing services.

For more information, please visit www.minervaimaging.com

About Atonco:

ATONCO is a privately-owned French company that develops targeted molecular radiation products for oncological applications. Stemming from Nantes’ world-class nuclear medicine hub, ATONCO and its partners are committed to the clinical use of alpha-emitting radionuclides, particularly astatine-211 (²¹¹At).

For more information, please visit www.atonco-pharma.com

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