Curasight‘s experimental cancer therapy, uTREAT, has successfully reached its target in the brain of the first patient dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial. New imaging data confirm that the radioactive therapy effectively targeted and bound to high-grade gliomas, marking a milestone in the development of this precision treatment.
“This first-patient data represents an important early milestone for Curasight and uTREAT,” Ulrich Krasilnikoff, CEO of Curasight, said in a company press release.
Gliomas are brain cancers that arise from the uncontrolled growth of glia, brain cells that support nerve function. Available glioma treatments include radiation and surgery, but they are often not successful in controlling aggressive tumors.
uTREAT aims to treat glioma and other cancers by targeting a protein called uPAR (urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor). This protein is involved in tissue breakdown. It’s generally not expressed by healthy adult cells, but cancer cells often express uPAR to help them metastasize and spread to other parts of the body.
The science of targeting uPAR
The treatment specifically uses a peptide (a small protein) that binds to the uPAR protein, which is attached to a radioactive molecule. The idea is that the therapy will deliver the radioactive molecule directly to uPAR-expressing tumor cells, killing them with radiation while minimizing its toxic effects on the rest of the body.
According to Curasight, positron emission tomography data (using the company’s uTRACE system) from the first glioma patient given uTREAT show “clear and sustained uptake of uTREAT in the tumor.” The company reports that the therapy was detectable in the tumor for at least 24 hours after administration, demonstrating that it can strongly bind to the tumor — a feature essential for delivering cancer-killing radiation.
“The clear tumor uptake and high retention observed in aggressive glioblastoma provide early clinical validation of our uPAR-targeted radiopharmaceutical approach,” Krasilnikoff said. “The results further support the potential of uTREAT as a next generation radiopharmaceutical targeting uPAR for multiple solid aggressive tumors using one drug and one target. It further supports our theranostic uPAR platform designed to provide highly specific and personalized treatment for certain types of cancer.”
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