Rockland Immunochemicals receives funding to develop agents for cancer diagnosis and therapy
Rockland Immunochemicals, Inc., has received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NCI/NIH), to develop nanoprobes for in vivo imaging of cancer cells and tumors that express one of three important cancer therapeutic targets: EGFR, HER2, and Mesothelin. The project is a collaboration between Rockland and Abzyme Therapeutics, with in vivo imaging consultants from Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh.
In Phase 1, Rockland and Abzyme Therapeutics will develop, label, and characterize high-affinity single-domain antibodies (sdAbs) against EGFR, HER2, and Mesothelin. Under the terms of this grant, Abzyme will develop single domain antibodies, and Rockland will be responsible for bioconjugation and in vivo characterization.
“Despite significant scientific progress, very few cancer imaging agents are available in the clinic,” comments Carl A. Ascoli, PhD, Laboratory Director at Rockland Immunochemicals. “The size, ease of manufacture, and condition-resistant nature of sdAbs make them the best choice as capture molecules.”
In the planned Phase II portion of this project, the key antibodies will be radionuclide-labeled and characterized using PET scanners in collaboration with Yale and Pitt. Radionuclide-labeled antibodies specific to cancer cells can be used not only as in vivo imaging agents but also for targeted cancer therapy. Learn more about Rockland Immunochemicals and Abzyme Therapeutics.