Pepscan announces research collaboration with Fusion Pharmaceuticals to discover and develop peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals
Pepscan, the all-in-one peptide service provider with proprietary peptide constraining technologies, today announced a strategic research collaboration with Fusion Pharmaceuticals to discover novel, peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals for the treatment of various solid tumors. Pepscan’s unique CLIPS™ phage display platform will screen billions of peptides to discover highly constrained de novo peptides with enhanced affinities, selectivities, and proteolytic stabilities.
“We are pleased to partner with Pepscan, a global leader in peptide discovery with a platform that will enable us to create novel, peptide-based targeted alpha therapies (TATs), further augmenting our pipeline of radiopharmaceuticals,” said Fusion Chief Executive Officer John Valliant.
“We are very excited to team up with Fusion Pharmaceuticals in the rapidly evolving field of peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals,” said Hans de Backer, Pepscan’s CEO. “We see it as a privilege to apply our constrained peptide phage display technology and our specialists’ ingenuity and experience to contribute to the discovery and development of new oncological treatment options. We are proud that Fusion has recognized how our in-house peptide pipeline offering – from discovery to GMP production – will enable them to develop new breakthrough therapies.”
Under the agreement, Fusion has global rights to develop and commercialize any peptides discovered under the collaboration.
Contact information:
Evert van Dijk, CCO
+31 320 225 300 – e.vandijk@pepscan.com.
About Pepscan
Pepscan is an all-in-one partner in peptides, building on 25 years of experience in advancing and applying peptide expertise to facilitate customers in the development and production of peptides. At its end-to-end facility in Lelystad, the Netherlands, Pepscan offers a range of patented technologies, phage display capabilities, a lead-optimization array platform, and production facilities for R&D- to GMP-grade peptides, including libraries and neoantigen vaccines. Among its patents is the CLIPS™ technology, which locks peptides into active conformations.
Pepscan has a proven track record in the field of radiopharmaceuticals and synthesized precursors for radiolabeled peptides suitable for a wider range of applications. Its unique CLIPS™ phage display platform screens libraries of billions of different peptides and enables the discovery of highly constrained de novo peptides with enhanced affinities, selectivities, and proteolytic stabilities. Next to the peptides emerging from the discovery platform, Pepscan has successfully produced radiopharmaceutical peptides at GMP grade that were developed by customers themselves.
About Fusion
Fusion Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage oncology company focused on developing next-generation radiopharmaceuticals as precision medicines. Employing a proprietary Fast-Clear™ linker technology, Fusion connects alpha particle emitting isotopes to various targeting molecules in order to selectively deliver the alpha emitting payloads to tumors.
Fusion’s lead program, FPI-1434 targeting insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The pipeline includes FPI-1966 targeting the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) and FPI-2059, a small molecule recently acquired from Ipsen, targeting neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1). In addition to a robust proprietary pipeline, Fusion has a collaboration with AstraZeneca to jointly develop up to three novel targeted alpha therapies (TATs) and explore up to five combination programs between Fusion’s TATs and AstraZeneca’s DNA Damage Repair Inhibitors (DDRis) and immuno-oncology agents. Fusion also entered into a collaboration with Merck to evaluate FPI-1434 in combination with Merck’s KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in patients with solid tumors expressing IGF-1R.
