Goodwin Biotechnology and Spectros have reported a collaboration for the process development and cGMP manufacturing of an antibody: dye conjugate that will be used in phase I and phase II clinical trials.

"The leading surgical treatment for prostate cancer is prostatectomy, or removal of the prostate," noted David Benaron, CEO at Spectros. "Unfortunately, residual tumor remains at the edge of surgery about 30% of the time, leading to a significantly higher risk of local recurrence of the cancer and higher rates of death. By collaborating with GBI on the conjugation of a fluorescent dye and a monoclonal antibody that has a high level of affinity with the prostate-specific membrane antigen, we aim to identify and minimize the residual tumor, thereby reducing the number of people who have to receive additional treatment such as high doses of radiation. This type of cancer detection, called Molecular Imaging, may represent an important advance in cancer by improving the diagnosis, individualized treatment selection and monitoring, and even survival. We look forward to clinical trials with this agent, ProstaFluorR, beginning next year."