AdvanCell, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing innovative cancer therapeutics, announced $18 million in Australian Federal Government Funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Frontiers Initiative for ‘Defeating Prostate Cancer with Targeted Alpha Therapy.’
About one out of eight men develops prostate cancer. And with the support from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Frontiers Initiative, the goal of the multidisciplinary multi-institutional investigator team is to transform the clinical management of prostate cancer by leveraging leading therapeutic radiopharmaceutical technology paired innovative clinical development and a deep understanding of tumour biology to improve the lives of patients with prostate cancer.
This research program is enabled by AdvanCell’s proprietary (Lead-212) 212Pb alpha isotope production technology, along with the delivery of a first-in-field clinical platform trial to accelerate the translation of 212Pb-based targeted alpha therapies, one of the most exciting breakthroughs in cancer treatment.
AdvanCell is partnering with experts in Australia and globally, underpinning the transformative nature of the important clinical research. The clinical PIs include internationally renowned physician-scientists Professor Louise Emmett (St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney and University of New South Wales) and Prof. Shahneen Sandhu (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne).
Scientific investigators include Professor Richard Payne (The University of Sydney), Professor Matt Trau, Dr. Alain Wuethrich, Dr. Kevin Koo (The University of Queensland), Dr. Scott Lovell (University of Bath), A/Prof. Serigne Lo (Melanoma Institute Australia) and Dr. Thomas Kryza and Dr. Simon Puttick (AdvanCell).
KEY QUOTES:
“On behalf of all Co-Investigators, I would like to thank the Australian Government and MRFF Frontiers Initiative committee for this prestigious award. Targeted alpha therapies are among the most promising in oncology. We believe this MRFF-funded research can be practice changing and have a lasting positive impact on the lives of patients with prostate cancer. We highly value the support and opportunity this funding provides to fast-track translation and accelerate the development of novel combination therapies in an industry-academic partnership.”
- Anna Karmann MD PhD, AdvanCell Chief Medical Officer
“This collaborative Frontiers grant gives us the tools to deeply evaluate optimal combinations with targeted alpha therapy in prostate cancer – aiming for longer better lives using great technology in a smart way.”
- Professor Louise Emmett
“Our MRFF grant will accelerate the development of innovative targeted alpha therapy combinations designed to enhance patient care and clinical outcomes.”
- Professor Shahneen Sandhu
“The MRFF funding supports Australian innovation to drive the establishment of sovereign manufacturing capabilities to accelerate clinical translation of 212Pb-targeted alpha therapy.”
- Professor Stephen Rose, Head of Translational Medicine and Clinical Science at AdvanCell
