The field of radiotherapeutics is a hot topic currently, and so who better to talk about the subject than Ken Herrmann, a radiopharmaceutical academic expert, who is Professor of Nuclear Medicine at the Universitätsklinikum Essen, in Essen Germany, and two people from the company Molecular Partners: Patrick Amstutz, who is a co-founder and the CEO, and Dani Steiner, SVP of R&D.

Molecular Partners recently shared a preclinical package supporting MP0712, its radioligand candidate. Based on the small protein class they pioneered, DARPins, the company is looking to tackle the historic kidney toxicity of small protein vectors while preserving a good binding and specificity profile. 

This will have repercussions across its radioligand (or Radio-DARPin) portfolio, which has programs in partnership with Novartis and (in the case of MP0712) Orano Med. MP0712's key tumor target is DLL3, also the target of tarlatamab, the first bispecific against DLL3, which was approved recently. 

The program is focused on small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC), a highly aggressive lung cancer with a five-year survival rate of about 3%. Molecular Partners said its data show strong and homogenous tumor uptake of 212PB-DLL3 targeted MP0712, as well as significant and durable inhibition of tumor growth. 

The data also show good tolerance at all dosing levels and an enhanced tumor-to-kidney uptake ratio. MP0712 is the first Radio-DARPin expected to enter the clinic with first-in-human data expected in 2025.  

01:12-04:20 : About Molecular Partners
04:20-06:34 : What are radiotherapeutics, and what can they treat?
06:34-11:36 : What are some of the challenges facing radiopharma?
11:36-13:20 : Has there been a shortage of radioligands?
13:20-16:38 : How has Molecular Partners addressed challenges?
16:38-27:59 : What was the SNMMI conference, and what did it address?
27:59-32:50 : Where are you at with clinical trials?
32:50-34:11 : What do you see as the current trends?
34:11-35:54 : How are the treatments delivered to patients?
35:54-36:50 : How frequently are treatments needed?
36:50-39:03 : Where is radiotherapy headed?
 
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