Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals and Neutron Therapeutics Form Strategic Partnership to Advance Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
June 8, 2023—Partnership aligns efforts to establish first boron neutron capture therapy treatment center in the U.S.—
—Companies intend to collaborate with academic medical centers to establish additional BNCT facilities—
NEW YORK & BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals, a Deerfield Management-founded biotechnology company developing medicines to unlock the potential of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), and Neutron Therapeutics, the leading provider of accelerator-based neutron systems for targeted radiation therapy of solid tumors, today announced the formation of a strategic partnership to advance BNCT to treat cancer. The partnership aligns the companies’ efforts to build the first BNCT treatment center in the United States and to establish additional BNCT facilities through collaborations with premier academic medical centers.
“To bring BNCT to patients in need, it’s critical to foster collaboration among key stakeholders who are working to advance this precision medicine modality,” said Dave Greenwald, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Aviko and vice president of business development at Deerfield. “This strategic partnership brings together Aviko’s expertise in drug development and Neutron’s industry-leading neutron delivery technology with the goal of improving outcomes for patients with a variety of cancers.”
BNCT involves a non-toxic boron medicine that is designed to accumulate in cancer cells. The boron medicine remains inert until it is irradiated by safe, low-energy neutrons at the site of the tumor, releasing alpha particles that destroy cancerous cells. Aviko has developed a pipeline of boron medicines that exhibit properties to enable effective BNCT, including high tumor selectivity. Neutron’s nuBeam® system is a comprehensive BNCT treatment suite with an accelerator that produces the highest neutron flux available in the clinical setting, leading to potentially shorter treatment times and improved patient experience.
“BNCT has demonstrated the ability to eradicate tumors in as few as one or two treatments, while minimizing damage to healthy tissue,” said Elizabeth Reczek, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Neutron Therapeutics. “We’re thrilled to partner with Aviko in our efforts to expand BNCT as a treatment modality in the U.S. and globally.”
Neutron has installed its nuBeam® system at Helsinki University Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, and at Shonan Kamakura General Hospital in Kamakura City, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan.
“Recent innovations related to neutron acceleration have expanded the opportunities for BNCT to be used in a wide range of medical centers,” said Bill Buckley, co-founder of Neutron Therapeutics and founder of New Zealand-based Buckley Systems. “This partnership is an example of how two companies can collaborate to advance a promising therapy to help patients who are in need of more effective treatment options.”
Ted Smick, chief technology officer and co-founder of Neutron Therapeutics, added: “Together, Aviko and Neutron Therapeutics offer a complete solution for BNCT, enabling more medical centers to provide this powerful new treatment to patients.”
About Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a precision medicine approach that is being advanced to treat cancer by destroying cancerous cells while minimizing the impact to surrounding healthy tissues. BNCT uses a non-toxic boron medicine that is administered to the patient. The medicine is designed to accumulate in cancer cells while being quickly cleared from normal tissues in the body. The boron medicine remains inert until it is irradiated at the site of the tumor with safe, low-energy neutrons, releasing alpha particles that can destroy cancerous cells. BNCT may also have applications in treating other diseases. Currently there are 16 BNCT clinics worldwide, primarily in Asia and Europe.
About Neutron Therapeutics
Neutron Therapeutics is the leading provider of accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) systems for use in targeted radiation therapy of solid tumors. Neutron Therapeutics’ flagship product, the nuBeam® therapy platform, is a compact, in-hospital neutron source designed to replace legacy nuclear reactors for BNCT. The nuBeam® system offers a higher neutron flux than competing systems and is the only BNCT system to adhere to all International Atomic Energy Agency standards. www.neutrontherapeutics.com
About Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals
Aviko Radiopharmaceuticals is a privately held biotechnology company developing medicines to unlock the potential of boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) to treat a wide variety of cancers. Aviko’s innovative compounds are designed to improve the efficacy of BNCT by targeting and delivering boron to cancer cells with precision. Together with their partners, Aviko is advancing BNCT as a safe, efficacious and convenient treatment modality for patients. Founded by Deerfield Management, Aviko is based at Cure., a healthcare innovation campus in New York City. Follow Aviko on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Deerfield Management
Deerfield is an investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information, and philanthropy. The Firm works across the healthcare ecosystem to connect people, capital, ideas, and technology in bold, collaborative and inclusive ways. For more information, please visit https://deerfield.com/.
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