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IBA pioneers theranostic advancements, empowering the market to produce Astatine-211

Tuesday, December 12th, 2023

Rigging of the Cyclone® 30XP in Poland completed with a further two sites in Germany and France already operational

Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, December 12, 2023 – IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A., EURONEXT), the world leader in particle accelerator technology and of radiopharmaceutical production solutions is pleased to announce the start of the installation of a Cyclone® 30XP in Poland. There are now three sites set to produce Astatine-211 (At-211) for oncology applications, reaffirming IBA’s leadership and innovation in the area of radiotheranostics.

The completion of the rigging in POLATOM on December 11th follows the successful commissioning of the first Cyclone® 30XP machine in Jülich, Germany, earlier this year. Furthermore, an IBA cyclotron Cyclone® 70XP, installed in France in 2008, has enabled multiple research programs already.

IBA and the three sites, ARRONAX (France), Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany), and POLATOM (Poland), are active participants in COST Action 19114: A European Network Dedicated to Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT) with At-211. This collaborative effort showcases a commitment to overcoming challenges and advancing targeted alpha therapy research.

Despite its scarcity, At-211, an alpha emitter, is used in clinical research for targeted alpha-therapies in the field of oncology to treat brain, thyroid, ovarian, breast, prostate cancer1. Beyond At-211, IBA is also pioneering novel accelerator applications for other theranostic isotopes.

“IBA is at the forefront of revolutionizing the radiotheranostics landscape by addressing critical market availability challenges of radiopharmaceuticals such as Astatine-211 and Actinium-225. The company's groundbreaking efforts focus on 'unlocking' alpha emitters for theranostic applications,” said Bruno Scutnaire, President of IBA RadioPharma Solutions.

“The GIP Arronax (France) was the first institution to use the IBA multiparticle cyclotron. Since its installation in 2008, the cyclotron has enabled commercial activities, but also multiple research programs,” said Dr. Ferid Haddad, Managing Director of the GIP Arronax. “With the unique alpha beam capacity, the production of At-211 has enabled the institution and its partners to develop a better understanding of the At-211 chemistry, to develop radiolabeling methods and to conduct preclinical studies in order to prepare for clinical trials on new radiopharmaceutical for alpha-therapy,” he added.
 
“As a leading research institution and in our role as an international partner in the field of nuclear medicine, we are delighted to announce the successful operation of the Cyclone® 30XP multiparticles cyclotron,” commented Professor Dr. Bernd Neumaier, Director of Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-5). “With our recent milestone of successfully directing an alpha beam onto a Bi-target, we are poised to advance our efforts in the development of At-211. This achievement solidifies the position of the INM-5 of the Forschungszentrum Jülich as a key provider of this promising alpha-emitting isotope for cancer therapies” he added.
 
“At CERAD (Center of Design and Synthesis of Radiopharmaceuticals for Molecular Targeting), the strategic research infrastructure in Poland, we are delighted to add the Cyclone® 30XP to reach our objectives,” said Prof. Renata Mikolajczak, research and cooperation manager of Radioisotope Centre POLATOM, National Center for Nuclear Research. “This cyclotron will provide us with new radiopharmaceuticals and notably the alpha emitter At-211 for local distribution”, she added.
 
*Astatine-211 based radionuclide therapy: Current clinical trial landscape https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9859440/