Monopar Therapeutics initiates Phase 1 trial for MNPR-101-Zr

Monopar Therapeutics announced that its Phase 1 dosimetry clinical trial for its novel radiopharmaceutical imaging agent MNPR-101-Zr is now active and recruiting patients with advanced cancers. The antibody MNPR-101 targets the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor, which is expressed on numerous tumor types including pancreatic, breast, colorectal, and bladder. The study is now open for enrollment at the Melbourne Theranostic Innovation Centre in Australia, and is being led by Professor Rodney Hicks, an internationally recognized physician and pioneer in the radiopharma space. MTIC will use one of the world’s most sensitive, state-of-the-art, clinical total-body PET/CT scanners, the Siemens Biograph Vision Quadra, to image the tumor targeting ability of MNPR-101-Zr in advanced cancer patients. The Phase 1 dosimetry trial is evaluating the safety and dosimetry of MNPR-101-Zr in up to 12 patients with advanced cancer. Preclinical data to date have shown highly specific and durable tumor uptake of MNPR-101-Zr in human cancer xenograft models. Moreover, Monopar recently shared positive preclinical efficacy data showing potent and durable anti-tumor activity of MNPR-101 bound to therapeutic radioisotopes. If the tumor uptake, biodistribution, and safety look encouraging in this Phase 1 clinical trial for MNPR-101-Zr, the Company plans to expand the study or initiate a new study to test the potential efficacy of MNPR-101 bound to a therapeutic radioisotope such as Ac-225 in patients with advanced cancers.