Advanced Proteome Therapeutics Provides Overview of Current Activities and Strategic Objectives
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advanced Proteome Therapeutics Corporation (“APC” or the “Company”) (TSXV: APC) (FSE: 0E8), is pleased to provide an overview of current projects prior to more detailed news releases that will be disclosed shortly.
Radioimmunoconjugates
APC’s site-selective technology is being employed in the emergent field of radioimmunoconjugates (radioactive substances that can carry radiation directly to cancer cells.) These conjugates are made by attaching a radioactive entity to a monoclonal antibody. They may be used for imaging to help find cancer cells in the body, and/or as therapies to destroy them. APC’s programs offer a competitive advantage as they are intended to create well-defined, chemically controlled constructs. Such radioimmunoconjugates are expected to display higher selectivity and efficiency than has previously been available in this field pursuant to a multi-billion dollar market.
APC’s programs involving entities emitting alpha and beta particles are proceeding on two fronts. The recently announced collaboration with Noria Pharmaceuticals is focused on site-selectively targeting to cancer cells the alpha emitting isotope, Actinium-225, an approach with several potential advantages over existing radiotherapies. The company is independently pursuing complementary, beta particle therapy with Lutetium-177, a well-established targeted therapy, as well as other such radionuclides. News from APC, on this front, will be released imminently.
Collaboration with Heidelberg Pharma
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), targeted for cancer indications, have been actively pursued for two decades, but have suffered from stability problems and product heterogeneity. Nevertheless, even a highly heterogeneous first generation ADC has had clinical and commercial impact with sales near a billion USD per annum, highlighting the great opportunity for improved versions. The combination of APC's proprietary site-selective protein modification technology and Heidelberg Pharma's proprietary ATAC technology, featuring the mushroom toxin amanitin, has yielded novel antibody-amanitin conjugates of high purity and chemical stability. Controlled conjugation methods have led to conjugates that possess high target-specific cytotoxic potency against three cancer cell lines. An antibody-amanitin conjugate has been scaled up for testing in animal tumor models, which has proceeded beyond the 4th quarter (ended July 31st). Initial results from these studies are still being tabulated, but nearing completion, and will be reported on as soon as the analysis of data is completed, within the next few weeks.
APC and ImmunoBiochem Corporation (IBC) have entered into a Collaboration and Option agreement to develop superior antibody-drug conjugates targeted for difficult to treat triple-negative breast cancer, which constitutes 10-20% of breast cancers. The collaboration is geared toward site-selectively modifying the composition of IBC’s award-winning antibody technology. It is intended to obtain purer versions of ADCs, directed toward an unusual and highly novel extracellular target. Feasibility studies toward constructing site-selectively attached, linker-toxin combinations to ImmunoBiochem’s novel antibody are underway and sufficient clarity bearing on biological testing should emerge over the next several weeks.
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
Advanced Proteome Therapeutics Corporation is developing a proprietary technology to directly target cancerous tumors and avoid destroying normal cells. This type of agent is capable of greater potency, higher specificity and lower toxicity than other therapies that can also attack healthy cells. The Company is working to streamline the process by which these agents are prepared, which to date, has been extremely cumbersome, limiting their potential.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Advanced Proteome Therapeutics Corporation
Bill Dickie
President and CEO
Tel: 617 358-9777
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