On September 20, 2023 RefleXion Medical, Inc., a therapeutic oncology company and 3B Pharmaceuticals (3BP) GmbH, a biotechnology company developing targeted radiopharmaceutical drugs and diagnostics for cancer detection and treatment, reported an exclusive licensing agreement for RefleXion to develop and commercialize a specific 3BP molecule to direct its SCINTIX biology-guided radiotherapy (Press release, 3B Pharmaceuticals, SEP 20, 2023, View Source [SID1234635302]). This molecule may significantly expand the patient population eligible for SCINTIX therapy to patients with solid tumor cancers of any stage in a manner that may improve both outcomes and procedural workflow.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
The proprietary molecule, termed RXM-4768, targets fibroblast activation protein (FAP) found in nearly all solid tumor types. Using its technology platform, 3BP has discovered and characterized a large portfolio of FAP-targeting molecules as potential diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Together the companies selected one molecule optimized for utility with RefleXion’s SCINTIX radiotherapy that expands the role of FAP-targeting molecules to now include directing external-beam radiotherapy delivery in real time.
"This molecule has the potential to light up most solid tumor types in the body, thus demonstrating the power of radiopharmaceuticals by enabling SCINTIX therapy to reach patients with metastatic cancers that currently have dismal outcomes," said Thorsten Melcher, Ph.D., chief business officer at RefleXion.
"Our partnership with 3BP is as unprecedented in the external-beam radiotherapy industry as our SCINTIX therapy is for cancer treatment. We are excited, in collaboration with 3BP and others, to advance this molecule through clinical testing to commercialization." Overcoming the hurdles of targeting and motion management, especially for multiple tumors, is the core challenge in external beam radiotherapy. SCINTIX therapy, delivered by the RefleXion X1, uses emissions from cancer cells created by injecting the patient with a radiopharmaceutical to deliver a radiation dose that continuously and autonomously targets the cancer itself.
"We designed RXM-4768 with the unique requirements for SCINTIX therapy in mind, and our preclinical data demonstrated its potential as an effective biology guide for potentially most solid tumor cancer types," said Dr. Ulrich Reineke, founder & managing director of 3B Pharmaceuticals. "We look forward to working with RefleXion and their collaborator network to bring this project to fruition."
RXM-4768 was previously known as 3BP-4768 and is part of the rights retained by 3BP under the Global Exclusive Licensing Agreement for 3BP’s FAP-targeting peptide technology with Novartis Innovative Therapies AG. Under the terms of the agreement, RefleXion has worldwide, exclusive and sublicensable rights to continue development and subsequent commercialization of RXM-4768 for use with SCINTIX biology-guided radiotherapy. Terms of the transaction also include upfront and annual license payments to 3BP. Upon achievement of certain regulatory and commercial milestones, additional payments and commercial royalties would be due to 3BP. Further terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
RefleXion recently announced completion of the world’s first SCINTIX treatment in a patient with a recurrent lung tumor at Stanford Medicine Cancer Center. This milestone ushers in a new era of autonomous radiotherapy where the biology of the tumor directs where to deliver the radiation dose.