First human trial opens for radioligand therapy in HER2-positive cancers
McGill University Health Centre says the phase 1 study will test a Novartis-sponsored targeted radiation treatment in metastatic HER2-positive cancers.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
3 min read
The McGill University Health Centre has begun what it says is the first human trial of a radioligand therapy aimed at HER2-positive cancers. The phase 1 study matters because it is testing a targeted treatment approach for patients with metastatic disease that has continued to grow despite existing therapies.
MUHC said the trial is being conducted with support from the Research Institute of the MUHC and its Centre for Innovative Medicine. Novartis is sponsoring the study, which is designed to assess the safety and potential of the experimental radioligand therapy in patients with metastatic HER2-positive cancer.
The first patients joined the trial on June 16, according to MUHC. The hospital said HER2-positive disease is defined by the presence of the HER2 protein on the surface of cancer cells.
HER2-positive cancer is often linked with breast cancer, but MUHC said the marker can also appear in cancers including lung, stomach and bladder cancers. The hospital said HER2-positive cancers tend to be more aggressive.
Existing HER2-targeted drugs have improved outcomes in recent years, MUHC said. Some patients, however, develop resistance or see their disease progress, and treatment choices become limited when metastatic cancer continues after targeted options have been used.
How the treatment is designed to work
MUHC described radioligand therapy as a method that pairs a ligand, which can recognize a target on cancer cells, with a radioisotope. The goal is to carry radiation to tumor cells throughout the body while reducing exposure to nearby healthy tissue.
According to MUHC, the radiation is intended to damage cancer-cell DNA and shrink tumors. The approach differs from chemotherapy, immunotherapy and conventional radiation therapy because it uses a molecular target to direct the radioactive payload.
Before treatment, patients in the trial receive a positron emission tomography scan, MUHC said. The scan uses a radioactive tracer to show whether tumors express the HER2 target being studied, helping determine whether a patient may be eligible for the therapy.
Hospital cites radioligand research push
Dr. Ramy Saleh, a medical oncologist at the Cedars Cancer Centre of the MUHC and medical director of oncology clinical trials and the Phase I Research Unit at the Research Institute of the MUHC, said the hospital is trying to build a stronger role in radioligand therapy. He credited the site’s clinical and research teams, infrastructure and focus on precision medicine.
Saleh is also an associate professor in the Gerald Bronfman Department of Oncology at McGill University. MUHC said competition is strong worldwide for sites to secure and run these kinds of trials.
Dr. Farzad Abbaspour, director of nuclear medicine at MUHC, said radioligand therapy depends on close work among clinical, research and nuclear medicine teams. MUHC said its research technologists and specialized facilities are part of what allows the hospital to offer studies such as this one.
The Centre for Innovative Medicine at MUHC’s Glen site supports the startup and operation of complex clinical trials, including early-phase studies through its Phase I Research Unit, according to the hospital. Dr. Angela Genge, director of clinical research and the centre, said patient participation gives researchers a way to test experimental therapies and advance future treatment options.
This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.