Radiopharm Theranostics Ltd (ASX:RAD) has been granted Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval to begin its first-in-human Phase 1 study assessing therapy for patients with PDL1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The company intends to use novel radiotherapeutic RAD204, which targets PDL1-positive NSCLC, in the study which will evaluate dose escalation safety and efficacy points.
Addressing acute patient need
“We’re very pleased to receive the necessary approval that allows us to get this therapeutic study underway,” Radiopharm Theranostics CEO and managing director Riccardo Canevari said.
“NSCLC carries a poor prognosis for patients currently and we’re striving to make a difference on that front, with excellent support being provided by our partners at GenesisCare Contract Research Organization.”
Lung cancer is about the fifth most common cancer in Australia, with some 12,200 patients diagnosed in the country every year.
In 2020, it was estimated that there are more than 2.2 million cases of lung cancer globally, with NSCLC accounting for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases.
RAD’s trial, conducted at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, is targeting an area of unmet patient need with a proprietary nanobody from its NanoMab platform, which targets the PDL1 expression in NSCLC.
There is potential for the treatment to be the “first in class” radiopharmaceutical therapy targeting PDL1.