On July 7, 2021 Viewpoint Molecular Targeting, Inc. ("Viewpoint" or the "Company"), a radiopharmaceutical company developing precision lead-212-based α-particle oncology therapeutics and complementary diagnostic imaging agents, reported it has entered into a collaborative partnership with Netherlands-based Pepscan Therapeutics B.V. ("Pepscan"), the all-in-one peptide service provider with proprietary peptide constraining technologies (Press release, Viewpoint Molecular Targeting, JUL 7, 2021, https://viewpointmt.com/viewpoint-molecular-targetingr-partners-with-industry-leader-pepscan-to-accelerate-peptide-discovery-program/ [SID1234585493]).
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"Pepscan is clearly a world leader in peptide discovery and lead optimization, and we are delighted to have taken the first step on this journey," commented Michael K. Schultz, PhD, Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder of Viewpoint. "In our diligence, the Pepscan team is technically and professionally the strongest we’ve had the pleasure to work with. We are particularly excited to see how their CLIPS innovative scaffold technology results in superior synthetic peptide candidates for us to develop."
Peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals have recently emerged as an exciting therapeutic and diagnostic platform in the areas of neuroendocrine tumors, prostate cancer, and other solid tumors. Pepscan’s world-leading libraries of CLIPS (Chemical Linkage of Peptides onto Scaffolds) constrained peptides combined with its screening technologies and deep knowledge of the discovery process will result in optimal ligands which bind cancer-specific cellular targets with high affinity and selectivity. In post-discovery the candidates can be modified with Viewpoint’s proprietary linker and chelator technology which is specific for the lead-212 therapeutic isotope and lead-203 imaging isotope. This allows Viewpoint’s in-house scientists to optimize the pharmacokinetic "tuning" of the peptides to ensure high tumor uptake and reduced healthy organ uptake.
"We are excited to join Viewpoint’s journey and enable them to develop life-improving breakthroughs. Ultimately, the success of our peptide discovery and optimization for radiopharmaceuticals lies in the technical strength, expertise, and understanding of the team that transitions our candidates into clinically relevant radiopharmaceutical drugs," added Pepscan’s Director of Peptide Discovery, Michael Goldflam. "Given Viewpoint’s track-record in translating its two lead products through development to clinic-ready status, we have great confidence that the Viewpoint team will achieve success based on our discovery results."
This collaborative partnership agreement provides an avenue for both Viewpoint and Pepscan to focus on their world-leading expertise and technologies in order to accelerate the process from discovery phase to clinic-ready radiopharmaceuticals. The terms of the agreement are to remain confidential.