Molecular Imaging of Breast Cancer Metastases using anti-HER2 Affibody
 

Clinical Data on Molecular Imaging of Breast Cancer Metastases using anti-HER2 Affibody® molecules STOCKHOLM, Sweden, June 7, 2006 - Affibody is pleased to announce that clinical imaging data using anti-HER2 Affibody® molecules have been presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine in San Diego, USA (3-7 June 2006).

The clinical data, showing excellent localization and resolution of breast cancer metastases using an anti-HER2 Affibody® imaging agent, is presented by Professor Dr. Richard P. Baum from the Zentralklinik Bad Berka, Germany. High contrast images are presented both from SPECT and PET analyses using Affibody® molecules labeled with Indium-111 and Gallium-68, respectively. Due to the excellent selectivity and rapid clearance, high resolution images of metastases in different anatomical sites were obtained only hours following administration of the Affibody® imaging agent.

"In the future there could be an important role for the anti-HER2 Affibody® imaging agent not only for characterizing the receptor status of patients presenting with recurrent metastatic disease at follow-up investigations, but also in the primary tumor situation," says Professor Baum. "Molecular imaging of specific tumor receptors fulfils an unmet clinical need and offers strong benefit for the patient in directing appropriate treatment," he added.

Affibody has developed this imaging agent based on an Affibody® molecule that binds specifically to the receptor HER2, which is frequently overexpressed in breast cancer. The positive identification of the HER2 receptor on the surface of the cancer cells gives prognostic information and may guide treatment for the individual patient as a growing number of pharmaceuticals target this receptor, including the monoclonal antibody Herceptin® and small molecule kinase inhibitors such as lapatinib. The application of the anti-HER2 Affibody® imaging agent may thus become part of a personalized treatment regimen, providing a comprehensive view of HER2 expression in all the patient's metastases. This information is currently unavailable by other means; for example, the currently used PET imaging agent F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a general marker for increased metabolic activity and does not provide information on specific drug target expression in the cancer lesions.

"These exciting and decisive results show that the Affibody® imaging technology has made the critical transition from promising pre-clinical data to proof-of-concept in the clinical setting. The excellent tumor-targeting properties previously seen in non-human imaging studies have now been confirmed in patients with different localization of disease. This lends strong support to our plans to develop and commercialize imaging agents against other well established tumor markers," says Affibody's Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ulf Boberg.

For further information, please contact:

Affibody AB
Ulf Boberg, Chief Executive Officer
+46 8 598 838 15
ulf.boberg@affibody.com

Lars Abrahmsén, Chief Scientific Officer
+46 8 598 838 12
lars.abrahmsen@affibody.com

Citigate Dewe Rogerson
David Dible, Mark Swallow, Yvonne Alexander
+44 207 638 9571

Wow, This sounds like a brillant approach for HER2+. BB

I thought so too Bev. The trial for this study is in Sweden and is in phase I. I definately think this is a study to follow closely as it progresses for those that are her2+.