RDCs (Radionuclide Drug Conjugates) are bifunctional effector molecules, consist ligands binding tightly with tumor cells, linkers, chelators, and radioisotopes functioning as both cytotoxic and imaging factors. Under the guidance of precise targeting ligand molecules, radioisotope are able to accurately kill tumor cells at a close range with high efficiency and low toxicity.
Our vision is to develop both alpha and beta therapies for the indications we are pursuing, to increase the options available for patients to treat cancer.
α-particles deliver high energy to cancer tissues while its short range can reduce the risk of damaging healthy cells. It forces double-strand breaks in DNA, preventing tumor cells repairment mechanism and potentially overcoming drug resistance problem.
Targeted drugs selectively deliver radioactive alpha or beta particles to cancer cells, thereby reducing damage to other cells in the body. Vitsgen scaffolds are composed of four components: ligand molecule, linker, chelator and radionuclide. Each component is optimized to achieve high selectivity, radiation delivery and stability.
Target selection is a critical activity in radiopharmaceutical development. The key is to ensure differential expression and adequate delivery of radioactive payloads to tumor cells while minimizing exposure to healthy organs. We evaluate targets based on multiple parameters, including tumor overexpression, tumor selectivity, and feasibility for therapeutic drug development.
We have deep expertise in optimizing peptides, peptidomimetics and small molecules for radiotherapy development. Our systematic approach is supported by a rich toolkit that includes proprietary novel chelators and a variety of binders and linker modifications (e.g., unnatural amino acids, structural modifications, etc.)
