Partnership targets leukaemia

Nordic Nanovector usually focuses on the development of treatments for haematology and oncology. With a new collaboration with US-based Areva Med, the Norwegian biotech plans to break into cancer therapeutics. The two companies plan to investigate the potential of a lead-212 conjugated anti-CD37 antibody for the treatment of leukaemias – a growing market estimated to be worth US$5bn by 2020. Nordic Nanovector will bring its chimeric anti-CD37 antibody (NNV003) into the partnership, as well as provide expertise in antibody radionuclide conjugate (ARC) development. Areva Med, the medical subsidiary of French energy major Areva, will provide expertise in the production of lead-212 (212Pb), in the development of Targeted Alpha Therapies using this radionuclide and in site-specific bioconjugation methods through its Macrocyclics subsidiary.

Since there is no substantial tumour mass in leukaemias and cancer cells are close to healthy tissues, these cancers are traditionally hard to treat. The radionuclide 212Pb has characteristics that make it an attractive payload for the treatment of leukaemias. When decaying, 212Pb emits very short range alpha particles. This allows for highly localised targeting and tumour cell killing with improved tolerability. The CD37 antigen is expressed on the surface of many haematological cancer cells, including leukaemia cells, making it an important target for ARC-based therapies, Nordic Nanovector’s Chief Scientific Officer Jostein Dahle explained. 

Nordic Nanovector will be able to license any ARCs resulting from the partnership, which Areva Med will have the option to license the use of CD37-targeting antibodies for its own unspecified purposes. In Areva’s Texas facility, preclinical studies will be conducted as a first step.

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