Prostate cancer theranostic, said to match effectiveness of Pluvicto, heads to clinical trial
A new collaboration is setting out to advance the study of a radiopharmaceutical that could be one of the most effective prostate cancer treatments to date.
Radiopharmaceutical developer Archeus Technologies and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) (the patenting and licensing arm of the University of Wisconsin–Madison) announced their partnership earlier this week. Together, the duo plans to conduct a clinical trial to advance ART-101—a receptor-based targeting molecule.
ART-101, which was discovered by researchers at the Advanced Radiotheranostics Lab at UW–Madison, is a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting small molecule that can pair with multiple isotopes, including actinium-225, lutetium-177 and terbium-161. Thus far, it has shown promising results in preclinical studies.
In fact, experts involved in its development believe that it may be even more effective than FDA-approved Pluvicto (177Lu-PSMA-617), as it has been shown to have higher tumor uptake. In comparison to Pluvicto, it also has displayed improved pharmacokinetics, dosimetry and tissue toxicity profiles, making it a strong candidate for FDA approval in the future.
“With strong preclinical data supporting the continued development of ART-101, Archeus is eager to lead the evaluation of this novel candidate through first-in-human studies,” Evan Sengbusch, PhD, chief executive officer of Archeus Technologies, said in an announcement. “Leveraging our team’s proven experience ushering new radiopharmaceutical agents from concept through clinical translation, paired with our close collaboration with UW as a world-class radiopharmaceutical research organization, Archeus is uniquely positioned to progress ART-101 into the next stage of development.”
“WARF is committed to investing in cutting-edge technologies and therapeutic candidates, like ART-101, that have significant potential to advance the theranostics landscape as well as treatment options for patients in need,” added Jeanine Burmania, senior director of intellectual property and licensing at WARF. “Encouraging preclinical data suggest that ART-101 could help increase lifespan and be more effective in treating prostate cancer than current therapies.”
The Phase 1 portion of the clinical trial for ART-101 is expected to start later in 2025.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.