TRIUMF, Canada's particle accelerator center, today announced it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: FUSN), a clinical-stage oncology company focused on developing next-generation radiopharmaceuticals as precision medicines.
Under the agreement, Fusion will provide a financial investment enabling TRIUMF to upgrade its actinium-225 production infrastructure, and in return will receive preferred access to actinium-225, a rare medical isotope that shows great promise in new, cutting-edge cancer therapies.
An alpha-emitting isotope with a short half-life, actinium-225 can be combined with a molecular agent that specifically targets cancer cells, seeking out and destroying cancer while leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed. The new collaboration will enable TRIUMF to significantly increase its production and delivery of actinium-225.
Today's announcement marks an important step in positioning Canada to play a leading role in the development and deployment of next-generation radiotherapies, and in ensuring that researchers and patients around the world have a stable supply of life-saving medical isotopes."
Dr. Jonathan Bagger, Director of TRIUMF
"Enabled by decades of public investment in TRIUMF's infrastructure and research programs, this collaboration recognizes the laboratory's capacity to drive innovation, moving this promising treatment closer to market."
"Given Fusion's opportunity to expand our pipeline of actinium-based Targeted Alpha Therapies (TATs), and the importance of isotope production in the supply chain of radiopharmaceuticals, we will continue to proactively address and prioritize actinium supply in our strategic plans," said Dr. John Valliant, Chief Executive Officer of Fusion. "We are excited to collaborate with TRIUMF, a leader in isotope production, as part of these plans."
"With its Targeted Alpha Therapy platform technology, Fusion has an opportunity to impact the cancer treatment landscape," said Kathryn Hayashi, Chief Executive Officer of TRIUMF Innovations.
"Through this collaboration agreement, we are partnering with a premier developer of innovative radiotherapies to deepen TRIUMF's leadership position in isotope production to help save the lives of patients in Canada and around the world".
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