ITM
ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE, a leading radiopharmaceutical biotech company, is dedicated to providing a new generation of radiomolecular precision diagnostics and therapeutics for hard-to-treat tumors.
Targeted radiodiagnostics and –therapeutics
The Targeted Radionuclide Therapy (TRT) is an emerging class of cancer therapeutics. Targeted radiopharmaceuticals are created by linking a medical radioisotope to a targeting molecule (e.g., peptide, antibody, small molecule) that can precisely recognize tumor cells and bind to tumor-specific characteristics, like receptors on the tumor cell surface. In contrast to conventional external radiotherapy, TRT is defined by the intravenous infusion of a radiopharmaceutical.
Once bound to the tumor surface, the diagnostic radiopharmaceutical (e.g. gallium-68) emits radioactive emissions, which are detected by highly sensitive molecular imaging technologies like positron emission tomography (PET) or single photon emission tomography (SPECT).
For therapy, medical radioisotopes with longer half-lives, such as lutetium-177 or actinium-225, are being used. As a result, the radioisotope accumulates at the tumor site and decays, releasing a small amount of ionizing radiation, thereby destroying tumor tissue. The precise localization enables targeted treatment with potentially minimal impact to healthy surrounding tissue.
To treat cancer by using the same targeting molecule for both diagnosis and therapy is the so-called Theranostics approach.
ITM is developing a proprietary portfolio and precision oncology pipeline of targeted treatments in various stages of clinical development, which address a broad range of cancers. By leveraging its nearly two decades of pioneering radiopharma expertise, central industry position and established global network, ITM strives to provide patients with more effective targeted treatment to improve clinical outcomes and quality of life.
