ARTBIO, Inc. has announced a strategic manufacturing and supply agreement with Nucleus RadioPharma Inc. to support ARTBIO’s therapeutic product manufacturing.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nucleus will manufacture ARTBIO’s 212Pb-radiolabeled therapies for its planned Phase I and II clinical trials of its lead program in prostate cancer, AB001, using ARTBIO’s proprietary AlphaDirect 212Pb isolation technology. This agreement will enable the supply and manufacturing of ARTs from Nucleus’ facility in Rochester, Minn., for patients living in the Northern and Midwest US.

“As we continue building our distributed manufacturing capabilities in the U.S. and globally, selecting partners who share our patient-centric vision is critical,” said Emanuele Ostuni, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of ARTBIO. 

“The Nucleus team shares our passion to make targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies accessible, and together, we commit to bringing a new class of alpha radioligand therapies to hospitals across greater Minnesota and beyond,”Ostuni added.

"This strategic partnership with ARTBIO underscores our unwavering commitment to transforming the lives of cancer patients through groundbreaking therapies," said Charles S. Conroy, Chief Executive Officer of Nucleus. 

"We are thrilled to unite in our mission to address the pressing need for innovative radiopharmaceuticals, ensuring that patients have access to potentially life-changing treatments with the highest quality and supply chain resilience," he added.

AlphaDirect is a first-of-its-kind system that delivers highly pure 212Pb from widely available raw materials. 212Pb is an alpha-emitting radioisotope that has gained attention for potential applications in therapeutic medicine, particularly in targeted alpha radioligand therapy due to its attractive short half-life and other properties. Preliminary studies of radiopharmaceuticals labeled with 212Pb have been promising, indicating that 212Pb has the potential to address unmet clinical needs.