The development of CTT1057, a new product for the diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer, received a boost with the worldwide license agreement between Novartis-held company Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) and Cancer Targeted Technology (CTT).
Men with prostate cancer typically show elevated blood levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Screening for PSA levels is common in men who have no symptoms, as well as in those with an already confirmed diagnosis of prostate cancer.
But PSA is not accurate enough to diagnose prostate cancer, and better methods are needed. F-18 labeled CTT1057 is a peptide product developed by CTT. Now AAA will work on its continued development and commercialization if it is approved.
The investigational compound specifically binds to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and was designed for prostate cancer imaging with positron emission tomography (PET), a method that uses a radioactive tracer to reveal the functioning of tissues and organs. Upon binding to PSMA, CTT1057 is internalized and accumulates inside tumor cells.
PET imaging with molecules that bind to PSMA improves the detection of metastatic lesions, even with low blood PSA levels in patients with disease recurrence.
“This agreement expands our position in the important prostate cancer space,” Susanne Schaffert, PhD, chairperson and president of AAA, said in a press release.
“PSMA diagnostics represent an accurate staging and risk assessment tool with the potential to change patient management decisions,” she added.
Schaffert said CTT1057 is highly complementary to the company’s F-18 PET portfolio and highlighted AAA’s manufacturing and development capabilities.
CTT recently completed a Phase 1 study (NCT02916537) in 20 adult men to test the safety and pharmacological profile of CTT1057. The trial was conducted at the University of California, San Francisco.
The study, “First-in-human phase 1 PET study of CTT1057, a novel 18F-labeled imaging agent targeting prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in prostate cancer,” appeared in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Results showed that CTT1057 enabled detection of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer lesions with greater sensitivity than conventional imaging.
“We are very excited to enter into this license agreement with AAA. We are very encouraged by the results of our recently completed Phase 1 clinical trial and believe that AAA has the right expertise and team to rapidly develop this important new PSMA-directed diagnostic for prostate cancer,” said Beatrice Langton-Webster, PhD, chief executive officer of CTT.