Specified Clinical Research Contract concluded with Edogawa Hospital
― Providing our drug for Research on FDG-PET-positive shallow tumors ―
Stella Pharma concluded a specified clinical research contract with Edogawa Hospital in Tokyo. This investigator-initiated specified clinical research on FDG-PET※-positive shallow tumors will be conducted with our boron drug Steboronine® for BNCT (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy).
Aiming to investigate the safety and efficacy of BNCT, the research will be conducted with a small number of case studies in patients with malignant tumors in which FDG is taken up.
The patients are diagnosed with shallow (within 6 cm depth from the skin surface) malignant tumor, and one or more tumors with FDG uptake. Regardless the tumor progress or recurrence, patients may or may not have treated with prior radiotherapy.
At Edogawa Hospital, the irradiation device CICS-2 of CICS Corporation, also installed and under development at the National Cancer Center Hospital, will be used in combination with our pharmaceutical product. Supporting this research, we will provide our boron drug accordingly.
In collaboration with medical institutes, our company will continue our efforts to bring BNCT, a new treatment option, to patients who are waiting for treatment as soon as possible.
※FDG-PET: A PET scan using radioactive fluoride-added glucose (FDG) is a precise examination of the presence and spread of cancer before treatment. Performable on various sites, it is particularly useful for malignant lymphoma, malignant melanoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, etc.
About CICS-2: CICS-2 is an accelerator-based BNCT system developed by CICS Corporation. A RFQ (radio frequency quadrupole) linear accelerator leads to the collision of protons with a lithium target, and generates neutrons characterized by low mix of fast neutrons that are harmful to the human body. Because the neutrons energy of less than 800 keV or less is low, it is possible to downsize the moderator system to decelerate the neutron energy to about 10 keV, suitable for BNCT.
