ImmuPharma PLC (AIM:IMM, OTC:IMMPF) said it has agreed a collaboration deal using its peptide technology as the casing for a “radioactive bullet” to treat cancer without damaging surrounding cells.
Orano, a French nuclear fuel cycle specialist, has paid a small undisclosed amount to the London-listed company for a 12-month collaboration and will provide a "potent radioactive isotope".
ImmuPharma's Bordeaux-based team will work with Orano and the Cancer Research Centre of Lyon to identify molecules that can best carry the radioactive entity, a combination that the UK company said in a statement is "an exciting new approach with significant commercial potential".
Any potential new cancer therapeutic using the peptide technology that is discovered during this work will be subject to a full licensing agreement between the two companies so that Orano can carry out further development.
It was noted that the radiopharmaceuticals market is expected to achieve global sales of €8.5bn by 2031.
Tim McCarthy, ImmuPharma’s chief executive, said it is “the ideal program for our peptide asset given its ability to enter the nucleus of cancer cells”, and the combination with “the short-range destructive qualities of Orano's radioactive bullet makes this a logical collaboration for both companies”.
He said it could also potentially create a new product life cycle for the peptide technology.
Orano said it is an opportunity to evaluate the potential of a “highly promising compound”, combining one of its new radioisotopes with an existing peptide developed by ImmuPharma.
Peptides are naturally occurring building blocks of proteins that work to regulate a variety of biological functions and processes in the body, also acting as a unique class of biopharmaceutical therapeutics.