28 October 2022 | News
Telix and UniQuest will work together to adapt and refine an undisclosed targeting peptide
Image credit: shutterstock
Australia-based Telix Pharmaceuticals has announced a collaboration with UniQuest, the commercialisation company of The University of Queensland(UQ), to develop a radiolabelled molecule targeting an immune checkpoint protein.
They do this by engaging with partner molecules on the surface of immune cells – known as immune checkpoint proteins – signaling to leave healthy cells alone. Some tumours have co-opted this mechanism, which can help cancer to hide from an immune attack. Drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors disrupt this suppression of the immune system by blocking immune checkpoints from binding with their partner molecules. However, responses are highly variable.