Molecular Partners and Orano Med Announce First Patients Dosed in Phase 1/2a Trial of DLL3 Radio-DARPin MP0712

Molecular Partners AG (SIX: MOLN; NASDAQ: MOLN), a clinical-stage biotech company developing a novel class of custom-built protein drugs known as DARPin therapeutics (“Molecular Partners”), and Orano Med, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company and a pioneer in the development of lead-212 (212 Pb) based targeted alpha therapies (TAT), today announced that the first patients were dosed in the ongoing US multicenter Phase 1/2a study of drug candidate MP0712. MP0712, targeting the tumor-associated protein delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) and carrying the therapeutic payload 212 Pb, is the lead Radio-DARPin candidate being developed under a strategic partnership between Molecular Partners and Orano Med. DLL3 is a highly relevant target for radiopharmaceutical therapy due to its abundant expression in tumors of patients with small cell lung cancer (DLL3 is present in over 85% of SCLC tumors) and multiple other aggressive neuroendocrine tumors, while expression in healthy tissues is low.

“MP0712 is a Radio-DARPin designed to attack tumors by specifically leveraging DLL3 biology. With the first patient now in repeat dosing and Cohort 1 now recruited, we are establishing the clinical safety profile of this novel therapy in real time. Working closely with investigators in our trial, we remain on trac...