Alpha-emitting radioisotope expected to play an essential role in next-generation targeted cancer therapies.
Nusano will supply dGenThera with At-211 in quantities sufficient to enable the company’s ongoing preclinical studies, first‑in‑human trials, and subsequent clinical development. The agreement supports dGenThera’s goal of rapidly advancing its proprietary pipeline of targeted alpha therapies (TATs).
Astatine‑211 is increasingly recognized as the alpha emitter of choice for targeted radiotherapeutics. Its pure alpha emission results in high‑energy, short‑range cytotoxicity that selectively destroys cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Unlike the chelated metal alpha emitters actinium-225 (Ac-225) and lead-212 (Pb-212), At‑211 has no problematic daughter isotopes that can detach and release payloads into healthy tissue and its 7.2-hour half-life provides an ideal window for systemic delivery and tumor targeting. Moreover, compared to metal emitter chelates, small molecules with covalently-attached At-211 are much more amenable to crossing the blood-brain barrier and targeting both primary brain cancers and brain metastases. These attributes make At‑211 ideally suited for precision oncology applications—a strategic fit with dGenThera’s molecular designs.
“We believe that At‑211 will be the foundation of the next generation of targeted alpha therapies,” said Louis Metzger, Co-founder and CEO of dGenThera. “Its therapeutic profile is unmatched—combining precision, potency, and safety. By working with Nusano, we are securing the isotope quantities needed not only to advance our near‑term preclinical experiments and mid-term clinical trials, but to also plan ahead for commercialization. We are excited to work with Nusano, whose technology is helping unlock At‑211’s full potential for patients and building ‘targeted radiotherapy 2.0’.”
Historically, the widespread use of At‑211 in oncology has been limited by insufficient production capacity. Nusano’s breakthrough accelerator technology removes that limitation, opening the door to high volume, reliable At-211 production.
Nusano’s radioisotope production facility in the Salt Lake City region of Utah will operate an alpha beam with a current 10-times greater than all the world’s comparable systems combined. Capable of daily production runs, this single Nusano facility could produce a 100-times increase in the world’s total At-211 supply – enabling At-211 distribution across the United States and additional geographies.
“Nusano is working to provide drugmakers and innovators with the stable, scalable isotope supplies needed for next-generation, cancer-fighting radiotherapeutics,” said Chris Lowe, CEO of Nusano. “This agreement reflects our commitment to expanding access to At-211 and enabling the entire field of targeted alpha therapy. We are excited to work with dGenThera to help bring their innovative theranostic molecules to the clinic, and stand ready to support them from the earliest clinical stages through commercial product availability.”
dGenThera is advancing a differentiated platform of theranostic molecular pairs, designed to enable true image-guided targeted radiotherapy. Each therapeutic molecule is nearly identical to its corresponding PET imaging agent, differing only in the isotope label—At‑211 or iodine-131 (I-131) replacing iodine-127 (I-127) for therapy and fluorine-18 for imaging. This close chemical matching eliminates the need for chelated metal emitters, which can introduce stability, pharmacokinetic, and safety concerns.
“Our vision is to enable At‑211‑based alpha therapy anywhere that F‑18 PET is performed,” said Anthony Casarez, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of dGenThera. “By engineering exquisitely matched theranostic pairs with stably bonded At-211, we can seamlessly integrate targeted alpha therapies into existing nuclear medicine workflows. This approach dramatically accelerates clinical development, simplifies regulatory pathways, and ensures that the diagnostic and therapeutic forms of our molecules behave nearly identically in the body (faithful reporting)—de‑risking clinical translation and enabling true precision medicine.”
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Content adapted by the team from the original source: https://www.itnonline.com/content/dgenthera-nusano-sign-deal-astatine%E2%80%91211-supply
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