a s c e n i o n: Novel antibodies discovered by GSF licensed to Actinium Pharmaceuticals for the development of targeted gastric cancer treatment

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Novel antibodies discovered by GSF licensed to Actinium Pharmaceuticals for the development of targeted gastric cancer treatment

Ascenion mediates license agreement between GSF and Actinium Pharmaceuticals

September 7, 2005 – Munich, Germany and Florham Park, New Jersey, US – In a deal mediated by Ascenion GmbH, Actinium Pharmaceuticals obtained exclusive worldwide rights for the development and commercialization of monoclonal antibodies which target a mutant form of E-cadherin (delta8 and delta9-cadherin) conjugated to alpha particleemitting isotopes. These antibodies were discovered and characterized by researchers at the GSF - German National Research Centre for Environment and Health as promising tools for specific gastric cancer treatment. D8- and D9-cadherin are only present on certain gastric cancer cells, but not on healthy tissues. They are particularly frequent in patients with diffuse-type gastric cancer. Under the terms of the agreement, GSF will obtain an upfront fee from Actinium Pharmaceuticals as well as milestone and royalty payments in line with product progress and future commercialization.

Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men and the third leading cause of cancer death in women. By the time the disease is diagnosed, it is often in an advanced stage and the prognosis is poor, in particular when single tumor cells or micro-metastases have spread from the original tumor into the peritoneal cavity. Currently, there is no satisfactory treatment available for this stage of the disease. The present standard of care includes chemotherapy and external radiation, both of which involve severe side-effects due to their unspecific mode of action.

“The α-emitter coupled antibody d9MAB could for the first time enable a specific and effective treatment for this group of patients by delivering its cytotoxic payload precisely to gastric cancer cells. As a result, tumor cells are killed while healthy cells remain intact,” Howard Wachtler, CEO of Actinium Pharmaceuticals commented.

The therapeutic potential of this approach gained further support from studies in a mouse model of peritoneal tumor cell spread demonstrating that treatment with 213Bi-d9MAb leads to a substantial increase of mean survival relative to untreated controls.

“I am pleased that the ingenious work of GSF scientists was protected early with the help of a patent which enabled Ascenion to find a professional partner to progress the development of a new drug against gastric cancer. Actinium is a recognized leader in alpha particle immunotherapy and an ideal partner to take the scientific results by GSF forward into the clinic,” said Christian Stein, CEO of Ascenion GmbH.