Pipeline

αf-001

Thyroid cancer affects over 40,000 people annually in the US and 20,000 people annually in Japan. While it generally has a favorable prognosis, treatment options for refractory cases are extremely limited. Standard treatment with sodium iodide requires a week-long hospital stay in a specialized radiation therapy ward, posing a significant burden on patients and leading to a waiting list due to ward shortages in Japan. αf-001, a trial drug utilizing the property of ²¹¹At to accumulate in the NIS, offers the potential for a new treatment with less patient burden and greater therapeutic effect. Currently, a Phase 1 trial is being conducted at Osaka University Hospital (NCT 05275946).

 

Watabe T, et al. Enhancement of ²¹¹At Uptake via the Sodium
Iodide Symporter by the Addition of Ascorbic Acid in Targeted
α-Therapy of Thyroid Cancer. J Nucl Med. 2019;60(9):1301-1307

αf-002

Prostate cancer affects about 300,000 people annually in the US and is the most common new cancer among men in Japan (90,000 new cases/year in Japan). Hormonal therapy is administered for recurrent disease after surgery or radiotherapy, but the prognosis is poor for hormone-refractory prostate cancer (CRPC) with multiple metastases.
Recently, prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), which is expressed in prostate cancer, has attracted much attention. We have successfully developed ²¹¹At-PSMA5, a new innovative therapeutic agent targeting PSMA. Evaluation using a prostate cancer model has confirmed marked hyperaccumulation in tumors and long-lasting tumor regression effects. ²¹¹At-PSMA5 is expected to enter clinical trials in the first half of 2024.

Watabe, Tadashi et al. “Targeted α-therapy using astatine
(²¹¹At)-labeled PSMA1, 5, and 6: a preclinical evaluation
as a novel compound.” European journal of nuclear medicine
and molecular imaging vol. 50,3 (2023): 849-858