Principal Investigator
Dr. Jean-Mathieu Beauregard
Université Laval – CHU de Québec-Université Laval
Co-chercheur
Humphrey Fonge
Université Laval – CHU de Québec-Université Laval
Project of $3,263,140 over 3 years
- Supported by CQDM through:
Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec (MEIE) - And by co-funding partners:
– ACT225 BioTherapeutics Corporation
– BioCanRx
– Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
The project in detail:
Challenge
Worldwide, 2.3 million people are diagnosed with breast cancer (BC), and 685,000 die from it each year. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive form of breast cancer and accounts for 10 to 20% of all diagnoses. Lung cancer, on the other hand, is the deadliest type of cancer. Indeed, 85% of cases are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), representing 2.2 million new diagnoses per year and 1.8 million deaths, with a 5-year survival rate of only 1% at stage IV. It is clear that the standards of care for TNBC and NSCLC have not led to significant survival gains over the decades.
Solution
No radiolabeled biologic therapeutic product targeting this biomarker in NSCLC (overexpressed in 65% of patients) or TNBC (overexpressed in 60 – 70% of patients) has been reported at the preclinically or studied in clinical trials. Potent radiolabeled therapeutics, such as those labeled with actinium-225, have been shown to be more effective than non-radiolabeled drugs. For this reason, Professor Fonge’s research team, in collaboration with ACT225 Biotherapeutics Corporation, has developed a proprietary monoclonal antibody, against this protein and used it to create radiolabeled diagnostic (ACT225 Dx02) and therapeutic (ACT225 Tx02) agents. Using animal models, they demonstrated that these compounds are highly effective against TNBC and NSCLC tumors. The therapeutic biologics are protected by two patents, making them attractive for industry.
Expected Achievements /Impacts
In this collaborative project, Dr. Beauregard, Professor Fonge, and ACT225 Biotherapeutics Corporation aim to develop clinical-grade theranostic compounds and submit a Phase 1 clinical trial application to Health Canada. The nuclear medicine market is currently the fastest-growing segment in biotechnology and is expected to surpass the antibody-drug conjugate market by 2031, reaching a value of over $35 billion. The potential market for an effective radiotherapeutic product targeting a biomarker in NSCLC and TNBC exceeds $16 billion and will have significant socio-economic benefits for Quebec and Canada.
