On February 2, 2026 AdvanCell, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing innovative targeted alpha therapies for cancer, and 48Hour Discovery, a peptide discovery platform company, reported a collaboration and exclusive licensing agreement to develop a novel peptide-based Lead-212 (²¹²Pb) radioligand therapy program for oncology.
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The collaboration is focused on the development of a purpose-built ²¹²Pb-targeted radioligand therapy, including a peptide ligand optimized for delivery of AdvanCell’s lead-212 (²¹²Pb) alpha-emitting payload. While centered on a 212Pb targeted RLT, the work also serves as a proof point for the broader applicability of 48Hour Discovery’s peptide discovery engine in radioligand therapy (RLT) development, demonstrating its ability to generate ligands compatible with targeted alpha delivery.
Precision Alpha Therapy, Enabled by Rapid Peptide Discovery
Lead-212 is a potent alpha-emitting radionuclide that enables localized, high-energy radiation delivery while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. AdvanCell has built an integrated platform around ²¹²Pb spanning isotope supply, manufacturing, and clinical development.
48Hour Discovery’s platform—combining large phage display libraries, high-throughput screening, and AI and chemical optimization—has been designed to rapidly generate peptides with high affinity and specificity. This program highlights the platform’s capacity to meet the stringent requirements of RLT development, including selectivity, PK and biodistribution properties, stability and payload compatibility.
"This collaboration reflects the strength of our ²¹²Pb platform and our ambition to translate scientific innovation into novel targeted alpha therapies that can meaningfully change outcomes for patients," said Philina Lee, PhD, CEO of AdvanCell. "It also demonstrates how innovative discovery technologies can be applied to accelerate the development of highly targeted alpha therapies."
Rick Finnegan, CEO of 48Hour Discovery, added:
"We see this program as an important validation of our discovery engine in the radioligand therapy space. It underscores the broader utility of our platform for generating ligands suited to demanding oncology applications. Importantly, this agreement is one of several partnerships we have entered into recently with companies developing radioligand therapies, and together they highlight the versatility of our platform across this rapidly growing modality."
(Press release, 48Hour Discovery, FEB 2, 2026, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=advancell-and-48hour-discovery-announce-collaboration-and-exclusive-licensing-agreement-to-develop-a-lead-212-alpha-radioligand-therapy-program [SID1234662391])