Molecular Targeting Technologies (MTTI), a privately held biotechnology company, and National Health Research Institutes (NHRI), Taiwan, have collaborated to develop novel cancer therapeutics using the proprietary DPA delivery technology to carry anticancer drugs that can be specifically delivered to and released at the tumor sites.

This collaboration recently has successfully achieved proof-of-concept in preclinical xenograft models and now is moving toward selection of a candidate for clinical development.

This technology is based on an unexpected discovery that certain dipicolyamine derivatives are effective in delivering a therapeutic agent to target disease sites that have phosphatidylserine exposed on the external surfaces of the cell membranes.

Chris Pak, president and CEO of MTTI said, “We are greatly encouraged by the robust activities and distinct advantages of this novel class of DPA-drug conjugates compared to conventional therapeutic agents in the colon cancer model. We are in the process of assessing the effectiveness of this new therapeutic agent in other tumors as well.”