Molecular Partners Presents New Preclinical Data Supporting Its Radio DARPin Therapy Platform
ZURICH-SCHLIEREN, Switzerland and CONCORD, Mass., Feb. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR: Molecular Partners AG (SIX: MOLN; NASDAQ: MOLN), a clinical-stage biotech company developing a new class of custom-built protein drugs known as DARPin therapeutics, today announced the presentation of new preclinical data from the company’s Radio DARPin Therapy Platform at the 12th International Symposium on Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT 12) in Cape Town, South Africa on February 28, 2023. The platform represents a unique and innovative delivery system for radioactive payloads to solid tumors, an approach with proven potential but with technological limitations that DARPins may address.
“These initial data demonstrate the potential of our approach to deliver high amounts of radioactivity to the tumor while overcoming the challenge of small, protein-based delivery vectors accumulating in the kidney. The therapeutic opportunity emerging from this approach is to enhance both safety and efficacy as higher dosages of radioactivity will selectively accumulate at the tumor site,” said Daniel Steiner, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research at Molecular Partners. “Following our recent selection of DLL3 as the first disclosed target and the progression of several other discovery-stage programs underway, both in-house and with our partner Novartis, we look forward to continuing to expand the technological capabilities of our Radio DARPin Therapy Platform.”
The presented data demonstrate Molecular Partners’ ability to engineer the surface of DARPin-based radiotherapeutics to dramatically reduce its accumulation in the kidney, a historical challenge with small protein-based delivery vectors. In preclinical models, the surface engineering did not affect tumor uptake or uptake in other healthy organs and combination with another kidney reduction strategy provided a cumulative benefit.
These results will be presented at TAT12 in a poster, the details of which can be found below. The poster will be made available on Molecular Partners website, after the presentation.
Poster: “DARPins as Powerful Targeting Agents for Radioligand Therapeutics”
Number: 33
Timing: February 28, 2023
Presenter: Daniel Steiner, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Oncology Research