Antibody technology as a cancer imaging agent

Immuno-oncology company Minomic International will next year launch a human study of its monoclonal antibody technology as an imaging agent to detect prostate, pancreatic and bladder cancers.

The company signed a heads of agreement with Macquarie University Hospital (MUH) and Macquarie Medical Imaging (MMI) to examine the use of its proprietary MIL-38 monoclonal antibody as a new tool to enable better detection and targeted treatment of prostate and other cancers. The first-in-human study will begin recruiting the first of 12 patients in Q1 2016, with the study expected to run during 2016.

The study will see a team of investigators, led by Professors Howard Gurney and David Gillatt from MUH and Dr Kevin Ho-Shon of MMI, examine a chimeric version of the MIL-38 antibody conjugated with 67Gallium (MILGa) to image cancer metastases. Investigators will evaluate the technology for safety, sensitivity and specificity of MILGa in patients.

Minomic CEO Dr Brad Walsh said the agreement is a key milestone for the company as it prepares to further exploit the potential of its antibody technology, which is already a centrepiece of prostate cancer diagnostic screening technology MiCheck.

“By formulating a chimeric version of the MIL-38 antibody, we are able to ensure a patient’s own immune system does not recognise our antibody as foreign,” he said. “Our antibody will then seek out the target, which is a protein found on cancer cells.

“We will attach a payload to our antibody — either an existing drug or radiotherapy — so that our technology can be used to directly deliver the appropriate therapy to the tumour cell target for maximum impact. Following successful targeting to tumour metastases in this study, the company intends to undertake a therapeutic trial.”