Actinium Pharmaceuticals
Targeted Radioimmunotherapy for Advanced Cancer Treatment

The effective treatment of cancer at advanced stages has remained largely elusive. As the effect of chemotherapy and radiation diminishes within a few years, patients relapse with slim chances of survival. The prognosis is even worse for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)—one of the deadliest blood cancers, mostly affecting patients who are 50 years and older. In advanced stages, the only possible cure is bone marrow transplant (BMT). This requires vigorous, physically-debilitating chemo-based conditioning treatment—with adverse side effects—to erase all traces of the diseased marrow prior to transplanting the healthy donor bone marrow.

Actinium Pharmaceuticals is on a mission to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of non-targeted chemo-based conditioning. The radiopharmaceutical company brings a revolutionary, targeted non-toxic technology for BMT conditioning. “We are developing novel end-stage cancer medicines based on the combination of biologic targeting agents and radio isotopes,” says Sandesh Seth, Chairman and CEO of Actinium Pharmaceuticals, which was established by scientists from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the renowned pharma company Organon & Co.

The company’s proprietary Antibody Warhead Enabling (AWE) technology platform links the powerful radio isotope Actinium to a biologic agent like an antibody to develop antibody radiation-conjugate drugs for advanced cancer treatment that checks all the safety and efficacy boxes. The technology harnesses the superior targeting capability of biologic agents and the unmatched linear energy transfer ability of Actinium to impart efficiency to diseased bone marrow removal. Actinium can damage DNA by causing double-stranded breaks, resulting in cell death without the possibility of mutations, making it the perfect candidate for destroying proliferating cancer cells.

Leveraging AWE technology, Actinium’s novel immunotherapeutic BMT conditioning drug targets cancer stem cells expressing the CD45 antigen within the bone marrow niche. By the emission of targeted internal radiation, the drug eliminates the diseased bone marrow in AML patients. Results from multiple proof-of-concept trials conducted by Actinium demonstrate a remarkable 20 percent of patients experiencing a complete removal of diseased bone marrow. Currently, Actinium is testing a low dose version of its drug with Memorial Sloan Kettering and investigating CAR-T cell therapy and gene therapy’s role in reversing the depletion of BMT conditioning post chemotherapy.

Besides, Actinium’s technology also allows solid tumor removal with surgical precision. By utilizing particular checkpoint inhibitors—a class of immunotherapy drugs—that target CD47 expressed in solid tumors, the company’s technology has the capability of modulating the immune system to target and destroy the tumor cells with accuracy.

What makes Actinium stand apart in the radiopharmaceutical space is its unique pipeline of ground-breaking drug products adopting a multi-pronged approach to treat advanced cancer. This is enabled by its strong R&D capabilities that probe deep into the intersection between radiation and immunotherapy to develop improved drugs that can be used in combination as well as standalone agents. Furthermore, with innovative drug development programs dealing with both solid and liquid tumors, Actinium differentiates itself by focusing on the CD47 checkpoint to treat solid tumors—unprecedented in the field of immunotherapy.

Moving forward, Actinium is set to release the Phase III clinical trial results of its BMT conditioning drug by year-end and launch it by 2024 upon FDA approval. Another immunotherapeutic drug for AML patients is ready to move into Phase II clinical trials the following year. Alongside, Actinium is also collaborating with the renowned pharmaceutical company, Astellas Pharma, in the solid tumor space, along with two more collaborations with other pharma companies working on CD47 and HER3-targeted therapies, respectively. With a robust product pipeline, Actinium envisions making its radioimmunotherapy programs available across clinics and hospitals, transforming cancer treatment forever.