Orano Med and Orbit Discovery Enter Collaboration to Discover Novel Targeted Radioligand Therapies for Cancer

11 September 2023 -- Oxford, UK -- Orano Med SAS, a biotechnology company developing Lead-212 (212Pb) Targeted Alpha Therapy against cancer, and Orbit Discovery Ltd, a leader in the discovery of therapeutic peptide hits, announced that they have entered into a collaboration to discover specific Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapies against cancer cells and advance the development of novel radiopharmaceuticals. Under the terms of the agreement, Orbit will deploy its bead-based peptide display engine to discover peptide leads specific to targets related to specific tumours.

Radioligand therapies rely on a simple concept: combining the ability of biological molecules such as peptides to target cancer cells with the short-range cell-killing capabilities of radioisotopes. This approach results in an increased cytotoxic potential toward cancer cells while limiting toxicity to nearby healthy cells. It opens new perspectives for patients with difficult to treat cancers and the global market of targeted radiotherapies is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30% between 2023 and 2030.

The collaboration will harness the capabilities of Orbit’s peptide display engine to identify peptide candidates specific to tumour-associated targets. The proprietary technology enables the screening of large peptide collections through the combination of DNA encoded libraries and bead-based presentation. Orbit’s peptide display engine is uniquely equipped to address soluble targets and targets in situ, both on and in cells, allowing for significantly faster discovery times of relevant peptide leads based on affinity screens and/or functional screens. Orano Med will focus on subsequent development of the peptides for clinical use after conjugation with lead-212, one of the most promising alpha emitter isotopes for use in radioligand therapy.

Dr Neil Butt, chief executive officer, Orbit Discovery, said: “We’re delighted to continue expanding our existing portfolio of partners by collaborating with Orano Med who have a strong track record of discovering novel radiopharmaceuticals” He continued: “We’re very proud of our proprietary screening platform at Orbit and acknowledge its role in empowering the next wave of peptide therapeutics.”

Julien Dodet, chief executive officer, Orano Med, commented: “Since the inception of Orano Med, we have recognised the value of collaboration.” He added: “In our strategy to develop and deliver 212Pb Targeted Alpha Therapy for cancer patients, we’re delighted to work with Orbit Discovery and leverage its technology and expertise in peptide ligand discovery to build our pipeline of radiotherapies.”

Orbit Discovery will be attending Boulder Peptide Foundation in California, 18-21 September.

Visit: www.oranomed.com / www.orbitdiscovery.com

About Orano Med
Orano Med is a clinical-stage biotechnology company which develops a new generation of targeted therapies against cancer using the unique properties of lead-212 (212Pb), a rare alpha-emitting radioisotope and one of the more potent therapeutic payloads against cancer cells known as Targeted Alpha-Emitter Therapy (TAT). Alpha decay results in irreparable double strand DNA breaks in cells adjacent only to area of alpha emission, which leads to an increased cytotoxic potential toward cancer cells while limiting toxicity to nearby healthy cells. As a result, alpha emitters are considered as the most powerful payloads to be found for targeted therapies. Orano Med develops several treatments using 212Pb combined with various targeting agents. The company has 212Pb manufacturing facilities, laboratories and R&D centres in France and in the US and is currently investing to further expand its GMP-manufacturing capacities for 212Pb radiolabelled pharmaceuticals in North America and Europe.

About Orbit Discovery
Orbit Discovery Ltd is a peptide discovery company focused on the use of novel bead and microfluidic technology platforms to improve the throughput of functional screening. The Orbit technologies encompass target protein expression and purification, including multi-spanning membrane proteins; affinity screening to identify panels of target binding therapeutic candidates; and functional screening in cell-based assays. Orbit’s multi-disciplinary team of world-class researchers and drug developers is working to translate this technology into breakthrough human therapeutics for Partners and collaborators, these parties encompass large scale pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Orbit Discovery is based in the Oxford Science Park and benefits from the expertise and experience of its founders, Professor Graham Ogg (University of Oxford) and Professor Terry Rabbits (the Institute of Cancer Research).