On October 2, 2023 Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals, a Deerfield Management-founded biotechnology company developing medicines to unlock the potential of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), and Neutron Therapeutics, a leading developer of accelerator-based neutron systems for targeted radiation therapy of solid tumors, reported an exclusive, strategic partnership with Leo Cancer Care, a company developing upright patient positioning systems for radiation therapy (Press release, Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals, OCT 2, 2023, View Source [SID1234635582]). The goal of the partnership between the three companies is to expand BNCT as a potential treatment for different types of cancer.
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"We believe that upright radiotherapy results in a better experience for patients compared to supine radiotherapy. We are excited to collaborate with Aviko and Neutron as we advance BNCT to potentially treat a variety of solid tumors."
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Leo Cancer Care’s upright patient positioning system will be integrated into Neutron’s nuBeam therapy platform, which is a compact, in-hospital neutron source designed to replace legacy nuclear reactors for BNCT. The companies will speak about their initiative today at 3:45 p.m. PT at booth #4207 at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), which is being held in San Diego.
"The incorporation of Leo’s upright patient positioning system with Neutron Therapeutics’ nuBeam neutron accelerator has the potential to increase the versatility and impact of BNCT for patients, physicians, treatment centers and the overall healthcare system," said Dave Greenwald, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Aviko and vice president of business development at Deerfield. "This strategic partnership is an important moment for our three companies as we work together to build a complete suite of both therapies and technologies that have the potential to provide boron neutron capture therapy to patients in need."
The BNCT treatment under development by Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals and Neutron Therapeutics involves an investigational non-toxic boron medicine that is designed to accumulate in cancer cells. The boron medicine remains inert until it is irradiated by low-energy neutrons at the site of the tumor, releasing alpha particles that destroy cancerous cells. Positioning the patient in relation to the neutron beam is important to support patient safety and the clinical activity of BNCT. Traditionally, patients have been supine when receiving BNCT and other forms of radiation therapy. Leo Cancer Care has developed an upright patient positioning system that is designed to allow for greater efficiency and precision when delivering neutrons to the tumor compared to supine positioning systems.
"With our upright patient positioning system, all areas of the body can be positioned close to the neutron source to receive a precise delivery of neutrons at the site of the tumor," said Stephen Towe, chief executive officer of Leo Cancer Care. "We believe that upright radiotherapy results in a better experience for patients compared to supine radiotherapy. We are excited to collaborate with Aviko and Neutron as we advance BNCT to potentially treat a variety of solid tumors."
Disclaimer
The products being developed by Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals, Neutron Therapeutics and Leo Cancer Care are in development and are limited to investigational use. These products have not received marketing authorization from the FDA and are not commercially available.
About Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a precision medicine approach that is being advanced to treat cancer by destroying cancerous cells while minimizing the impact to surrounding healthy tissues. BNCT uses a non-toxic boron medicine that is administered to the patient. The medicine is designed to accumulate in cancer cells while being quickly cleared from normal tissues in the body. The boron medicine remains inert until it is irradiated at the site of the tumor with low-energy neutrons, releasing alpha particles that can destroy cancerous cells. BNCT may also have applications in treating other diseases. Currently there are 21 BNCT clinics worldwide, primarily in Asia and Europe.