Shuttle Pharmaceuticals, UCFS Strike Sponsored Research Agreement

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Shuttle Pharmaceuticals announced that it has entered a sponsored research agreement with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to advance its prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-B ligand, a novel theranostic molecule for prostate cancer. According to the company, the molecule is being developed as both a diagnostic PET imaging agent and a therapeutic sensitizer for proton radiation therapy.¹

“From a clinical perspective, PSMA is a valuable target for diagnosis and therapy of prostate cancer,” said Anatoly Dritschilo, MD, chairman, CEO Shuttle Pharma, in a press release. “In a discovery project to develop a novel, boron-containing PSMA ligand to enhance proton radiation therapy of prostate cancer, we discovered PSMA-B, a molecule containing boron and demonstrating nanomolar binding activity to PSMA. Preclinical evaluations have been initiated to explore the PSMA-B ligand as a potential prostate cancer sensitizer in combination with proton therapy, as well as a PET diagnostic reagent and as a targeted prostate cancer therapeutic. The agreement with UCSF will support further preclinical testing in a mouse model of prostate cancer for its potential to bind to prostate cancer deposits in mice.”

Under terms of the deal, a team of UCSF researchers, led by principal investigator Robert Flavell, MD, PhD, will explore radiosynthetic methods for producing the [18F]FPA-ACUPA probe, investigate its cellular binding in prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines, and assess its diagnostic potential across PCa phenotypes. Shuttle Pharma holds exclusive intellectual property rights to PSMA-B and has filed a patent application in the United States.

Shuttle stated that the initiative represents an opportunity for PSMA ligands for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, particularly in the development of highly specific and effective theranostic agents for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, leveraging its high expression on prostate cancer cells for accurate imaging and targeted therapy delivery using radio labeled PSMA ligands.¹

According to the American Cancer Society, there were approximately 299,010 new cases of prostate cancer this year, with around 35,250 deaths in the United States. One in every eight men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, but each man’s risk of prostate cancer can vary, based on his age, race/ethnicity, and other factors. Around six in every 10 men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over 65 years of age, but the disease is considered rare in men under 40 years of age. The median diagnosis age is 67 years. Further, there is a greater risk in African American men and in Caribbean men of African ancestry than in men of other races.

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States for men, with one in every 44 men losing their lives to it. However, statistics have shown that approximately 3.3 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today, with the death rate declining by half between 1993 and 2013.²

“We are excited to be working with Dr. Flavell and his team at UCSF to advance development of our PSMA-B ligand, a theranostic that has the potential to play a significant role in the future diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer,” said Dritschilo, in the press release.

In 2022, the global PSMA PET Imaging Market reached $1.5 billion, with expectations to reach $2 billion by 2030, according to Pluvicto, a targeted radiopharmaceutical treatment for PSMA-positive metastatic prostate cancer.¹

References

1. Shuttle Pharma Enters into Sponsored Research Agreement with the University of California, San Francisco to Advance PSMA Development Program. GlobeNewswire. December 19, 2024. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/19/2999913/0/en/Shuttle-Pharma-Enters-into-Sponsored-Research-Agreement-with-the-University-of-California-San-Francisco-to-Advance-PSMA-Development-Program.html

2. Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer. American Cancer Society. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html