Novartis expands targeted radioligand therapy pipeline with in-license

 Novartis has obtained exclusive worldwide

rights to develop and commercialize therapeutic applications for a 
library of Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) targeting agents 
including FAPI-46 and FAPI-74, through an assignment agreement with 
iTheranostics, Inc., an affiliate of SOFIE Biosciences, Inc. The FAP 
assets were originally developed at the University of Heidelberg. The 
agreement also includes co-exclusive rights for Novartis to develop 
imaging applications for these assets. 
 
   Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is a cell-surface protein expressed 
at low levels in most normal adult tissues, but over-expressed in common 
cancers, particularly on cancer-associated fibroblasts that form the 
tumor stroma, which is essential for growth(1) (,2) (,3) (,4) . High FAP 
expression on cancer-associated fibroblasts is generally associated with 
worse prognosis in solid tumors due to promotion of tumorigenesis and 
progression(4) (,5) (,6) (,7) . 
 
   "We continue to invest in radioligand therapy as one of the four unique 
platforms of Novartis Oncology. We believe working across multiple 
approaches is the key to reimagining cancer care," said Susanne 
Schaffert, PhD, President, Novartis Oncology. "FAP is an exciting target 
and these agents are a great fit with our radioligand therapy pipeline, 
which we are actively investigating across multiple tumor types. We 
believe this technology has the potential to transform many patients' 
lives." 
 
   Targeted radioligand therapy is a type of precision medicine combining 
two key elements: a targeting compound, or ligand, and a radioactive 
isotope, causing DNA damage that inhibits tumor growth and replication. 
These targeted drugs bind to markers or proteins over-expressed by 
certain tumors, or tumor-associated tissue, such as stroma. Due to the 
high-affinity of these agents for specific tumor cells or associated 
tumor tissue, surrounding healthy tissue is less affected. 

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