Oncurie secures STTR grant to advance targeted treatment for ovarian cancer

Oncurie Inc., an RTP company specializing in radiopharmaceuticals and radioisotope chelators for cancer diagnosis and treatment, has been awarded a $349,000 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the National Cancer Institute. The funding will support the preclinical development of its ovarian cancer product, solidifying its leadership in the state’s rapidly growing radiopharmaceutical industry. 

Radiopharmaceuticals are composed of radioisotopes attached to targeting biomolecules via chelators, enabling them to recognize specific cell types, including cancer cells. Oncurie Inc., a North Carolina State University spinout, specializes in cancer treatments using radiopharmaceuticals built around a novel class of chelators.

Radiopharmaceuticals offer the unique ability to combine treatment with imaging diagnostics, an approach known as theranostics. This often involves a theranostic pair that uses a diagnostic agent to locate a disease and a therapeutic agent to precisely treat it.

Oncurie is developing a first-of-its-kind theranostic pair for ovarian cancer, using folic acid as the targeting agent. Folic acid binds to the folate receptor, which is overexpressed in up to 90% of ovarian cancers. The company employs the copper-64 radioisotope for imaging while copper-67 is the therapeutic agent.

From diagnostics to therapy

With National Science Foundation (NSF) funding and a $250,000 Small Business Research Loan from the North Carolina Biotech Center, Oncurie has developed the diagnostic component of its ovarian cancer theranostic pair. Published in a recent Molecular Pharmaceutics paper, Oncurie’s collaborative work with Suzanne Lapi, Ph.D., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham demonstrated that the approach can successfully label ovarian tumors in mice for PET imaging.

The new STTR grant will support the next phase of research, which will transition the radioisotope to copper-67 for potential therapeutic applications. Working with Lapi, Oncurie plans to optimize and explore the potential therapeutic compound before beginning preclinical studies to test for therapeutic efficacy. 

“Currently, patients undergo biopsies, which are invasive and limited in scope, especially when the disease has spread to multiple sites,” said Nick Trotta, Ph.D., Oncurie’s chief operations officer. “Our diagnostic product could enable a full-body scan to identify folate receptor-positive tumors more effectively, and the hope is that the therapeutic part of our theranostic pair could then be used as a new targeted treatment option for ovarian cancer patients.”  

The diagnostic imaging product could also be used to screen patients for new therapeutics, such as ELAHERE from AbbVie, an antibody-drug conjugate that also targets the folate receptor in ovarian cancer.

New board members

As the company advances its preclinical development, it also expands its board, bringing on two new members with deep expertise in drug development and radiopharmaceuticals. 

David Eve has nearly 30 years of expertise in nuclear medicine, with a career that began during the early clinical launch and expansion of diagnostic PET radiopharmaceuticals. He is recognized as a radioisotope supply chain expert across all classes of radionuclide emitters. 

Richard Di Marchi, Ph.D., is one of the world’s leading translational scientists, having registered well-known medicines including Forteo, rGlucagon and Humalog, while also founding multiple successful start-up companies, including a September 2024 IPO for MBX Biosciences.

Harnessing the state’s resources

"We're excited to support Oncurie as it develops novel chelators to enable the next generation of radiopharmaceutical and theranostic products," said Kyle Bartholomew, director of investments, Emerging Company Development, NCBiotech.

Trotta notes that NCBiotech’s network facilitated Oncurie’s early regulatory conversations with groups like the Research Triangle Institute, enabling important strategic discussions. The NCBiotech loan also provided critical support, ensuring continuity between NSF awards and preventing any disruption to progress. 

He says the company’s proximity to major research universities has been invaluable, offering access to world-class clinicians and oncological experts. Additionally, the state’s One NC program provided valuable funding that offers flexibility for working with consultants and advisors and other business needs not typically covered by STTR grants.

"Looking ahead, we plan to continue to build strong, comprehensive data sets to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology, whether that's for the ovarian cancer product, research on porphyrin chelators with other targeting molecules, or inventing new chelating agents,” said Trotta. “There are numerous exciting opportunities, and we intend to pursue them all."