Benzinga | Mar 30, 2021 07:37AM EDT

Monopar Therapeutics Highlights Publication Of Study Titled 'Engineered Antibody Fragment against the Urokinase Plasminogen Activator for Fast Delineation of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by Positron Emission Tomography'

Monopar Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:MNPR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on developing proprietary therapeutics designed to extend life or improve the quality of life for cancer patients, today announced the publication of a peer-reviewed study titled "Engineered Antibody Fragment against the Urokinase Plasminogen Activator for Fast Delineation of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by Positron Emission Tomography." Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) is an established biomarker in current breast cancer clinical practice guidelines and its presence is used to select appropriate drug treatment. This study demonstrates the potential to identify breast cancers with uPA overexpression and monitor uPA activity during treatment using PET imaging and Monopar's uPA antibody fragment radiotracer. Monopar has a panel of proprietary antibodies and antibody fragments to uPA and its receptor uPAR (such as MNPR-101).

uPA and its receptor uPAR work together to drive aggressive tumor invasion, leading to metastasis, morbidity, and mortality in breast and other cancers. However, uPA is difficult to measure and currently requires a substantial amount of fresh frozen tissue. Monopar's antibody fragment (ATN-291 F(ab')2) conjugated to a copper radiotracer enabled rapid PET visualization of tumors with uPA overexpression in a human breast cancer model in mice. PET imaging may expand the current application of uPA as a breast cancer biomarker and enable the monitoring of tumor uPA expression during treatment.

"The publication demonstrates the potential utility of Monopar's uPA antibody fragments as imaging agents in a model of aggressive triple negative breast cancer," said Andrew Mazar, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Monopar and a co-author of the study. "Same-day PET imaging may guide treatment decisions for breast cancer, and potentially other solid cancers, given the established role of uPA in this disease."

"We are pleased with the results of this peer-reviewed study," said Chandler Robinson, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Monopar, "and we look forward to exploring the potential of our versatile panel of uPA/uPAR targeted monoclonal antibodies in cancer imaging, cancer treatment, and other possible applications."