AlphaGen Therapeutics and ARTBIO Announce Exclusive Strategic Collaboration for the Development and Commercialization of AB001 and on ARTBIO’s 212Pb AlphaDirect™ Technology
Feb 20, 2024
Exclusive right to deploy and operate ARTBIO’s 212Pb AlphaDirect™ Technology in Greater China
Exclusive right to discover / develop wholly owned 212Pb programs with AlphaDirect™
Collaboration with ARTBIO on clinical-stage AB001 in Greater China, currently in Phase 0 for patients with prostate cancer with best-in-class potential
Mutual option mechanism for AlphaGen and ARTBIO to develop and commercialize each other’s programs outside their respective geographies
SHANGHAI, China and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., February 20, 2024 – AlphaGen Therapeutics (“AlphaGen”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative targeted radioligand therapies (RLTs), and ARTBIO, Inc. (“ARTBIO”), a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing a new class of targeted alpha radioligand therapies (ARTs), jointly announced an exclusive strategic collaboration agreement.
The exclusive agreement enables AlphaGen to use ARTBIO’s AlphaDirect™ isotope isolation technology to generate 212Pb, a unique isotope without a global supply. AlphaGen will also receive rights to develop and commercialize AB001, a clinical-stage alpha RLT targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), in Greater China which includes mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Furthermore, AlphaGen will have the right to use AlphaDirect™ to develop 212Pb RLTs against additional targets. The companies also agreed to an option mechanism for each other’s programs to enable rapid global commercialization. ARTBIO receives a minority equity interest in AlphaGen; as part of the agreement, Dr. Emanuele Ostuni, CEO of ARTBIO, will be appointed as an Observer to AlphaGen's Board of Directors.
“Alpha RLTs represent the next chapter for the global radiopharmaceutical industry. AlphaDirect™ is a globally leading 212Pb isotope isolation technology platform that has the potential to finally unlock China’s alpha supply issue. We are excited to leverage AlphaDirect™ to advance a highly innovative 212Pb RLT pipeline, in addition to AlphaGen’s internal programs based on the discoveries of our co-founder, Professor Zhen Cheng from Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM),” said Dr. Yong (Ben) Ben, Acting CEO of AlphaGen Therapeutics. “We look forward to working with the pioneering team at ARTBIO to bring alpha RLTs to cancer patients.”
“ARTBIO is delighted to have such a close and strategic collaboration with AlphaGen for the Greater China region,” said Dr. Emanuele Ostuni, CEO of ARTBIO. “We are committed to redefining cancer care with alpha radioligand therapies globally, and this partnership quickly expands the geographic reach of our technologies.”
ARTBIO’s AlphaDirect™ is a first-of-its-kind system that delivers highly pure 212Pb from accessible and readily available raw materials to minimize supply chain uncertainty and cost. Its benchtop format enables a distributed manufacturing approach for the production and delivery of alpha RLTs to patients.
AB001 is a 212Pb RLT that selectively delivers alpha particles to PSMA-expressing cells with best-in-class potential. AB001 has been evaluated in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in an open-label phase 0 study (NCT05725070) with microdoses to assess safety and imaging. In pre-clinical studies, AB001 has been shown to induce anti-tumor activity, including delayed tumor growth and improved survival, in mouse models of prostate cancer with no long-term radiation toxicity at therapeutic levels. Compared to 177Lu-PSMA-617, tumor and kidney uptake was also found to be more favorable.
About AlphaGen Therapeutics
AlphaGen Therapeutics is a radiopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative targeted radioligand therapies (RLTs). Leveraging its cutting-edge technology platform, the company aims to develop targeted RLTs for patients in China and around the world. For more information, please visit www.alphagentx.com.
About ARTBIO
ARTBIO is a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company redefining cancer care by creating a new class of alpha radioligand therapies (ARTs). The unique ARTBIO approach selects the optimal alpha-precursor isotope (Pb-212) and tumor-specific targets to create therapeutics with the potential for highest efficacy and safety. The company's AlphaDirect™ technology, a first-of-its-kind 212Pb isolation method, enables a distributed manufacturing approach for the reliable production and delivery of ARTs. ARTBIO is advancing multiple pipeline programs with lead program AB001 currently in first in human trials. ARTBIO is shaped by a long-standing scientific legacy with nearly a century of pioneering work in radiation therapy conducted at the University of Oslo and Norway’s Radium Hospital. For more information, visit www.artbio.com, and follow us on LinkedIn (@artbio-inc) and Twitter (@artbio_inc).
