Lisata Therapeutics and Kuva Labs have announced a worldwide partnership and licence agreement to develop a new class of advanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging agents for solid tumour detection.
This partnership is set to leverage Lisata's iRGD cyclic peptide product candidate, certepetide, for usage with Kuva’s NanoMark platform technology, aiming to enhance the detection of solid tumour cancers through non-invasive imaging techniques.
Under the agreement, Kuva Labs will manage all research, development, and commercialisation costs for the technology, while Lisata will supply certepetide.
The partnership is structured to provide value to both parties and consists of an upfront license fee, potential milestone payments, and royalties on future sales to Lisata.
Kuva Labs chief scientific officer Andrew Hopkins said: “Medical imaging plays a vital role in fighting cancer, but the limitations of current methods hinder rapid and definitive diagnosis.
“We are excited about our partnership with Lisata. The ability to selectively activate tumour cells enables NanoMark technology to directly MR image just the tumour and will transform the manner in which we see cancer. NanoMark will provide the first targeted, non-radioactive imaging option with unparalleled contrast resolution, significantly advancing the early detection and diagnosis of solid tumours.”
Certepetide is designed to activate the C-end rule active transport mechanism, improving the penetration and accumulation of co-administered agents in tissues.
Lisata chief medical officer and research and development executive vice-president Kristen Buck said: “This licence agreement exemplifies certepetide’s broad versatility, extending its application beyond our current focus on solid tumour treatments and into the realm of cancer diagnosis.”
NanoMark works without interference from water or fat and is compatible with existing MR assets.
While the initial focus is on solid cancers, the platform could be adapted for various tissues, offering a new imaging modality compatible with existing MR assets.
