Starget Pharma and Cancer Focus Fund Announce $5.1 Million Investment to Support Phase 1b Clinical Trial of Novel Peptide Radioligand for Precision Cancer Therapy

Starget's Smart Targeted Radioligand (STR) Theranostics Enable Precise Targeted Delivery of Highly Focused Molecular Radiation Directly to Cancer Cells while Minimizing Damage to Healthy Tissues

Lead Program DOTA-PTR-58 Was Developed Using Starget's Proprietary Peptide Backbone Dynamics Platform that Leverages Backbone Cyclic Innovations and In-Silico AI to Rapidly Design Highly Specific Ligands

TEL AVIV, Israel and HOUSTON, Oct. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Starget Pharma (Starget), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing precision peptide radioligand therapies, and Cancer Focus Fund, LP, a unique investment fund established in collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson) to provide funding and clinical expertise to advance promising clinical therapies, today announced a $5.1 million investment from Cancer Focus Fund to support a Phase 1b clinical trial of Starget's lead theranostic, DOTA-PTR-58. The trial will target tumors overexpressing somatostatin receptor type 3 (SSTR-3), including sarcomas, neuroendocrine tumors (NET), melanoma, and hepatocellular carcinomas. The trial will be conducted at MD Anderson and other centers and will begin enrolling patients in early 2025.

Targeted theranostic radiotherapy combines diagnostic imaging with targeted treatment to provide personalized care for advanced metastatic cancers. Using patient data, theranostics precisely targets tumor cells, delivering localized radiotherapy that can either generate diagnostic images or directly destroy cancer cells. This approach offers greater precision and a wider therapeutic window than conventional radiation therapy.

"This investment validates the potential of our smart targeted radioligands to provide safer and more effective therapies for challenging cancers," said Sigal Kalmanson Cusnir, CEO of Starget Pharma. "Our Backbone Dynamics technology enables us to transform peptides into next-generation radiopharmaceuticals with enhanced properties. We look forward to collaborating with MD Anderson on this Phase 1b trial of DOTA-PTR-58, a first-in-class theranostic that has demonstrated both safety ...