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Partnership to develop innovative treatment for cancer

Kgaogelo Letsebe
By Kgaogelo Letsebe, Portals journalist
Johannesburg, 22 Mar 2017
Through technology and science BGM Pharma, UCT and NECSA have developed a new theranostics to deal with cancer.
Through technology and science BGM Pharma, UCT and NECSA have developed a new theranostics to deal with cancer.

BGM Pharma, the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) have used technology and science to bring about a one-of-a-kind cancer diagnosis and treatment innovation known as GluCAB.

The estimated R600 million partnership will bring the new theranostics to market. "Taking a molecule from doctoral thesis to clinical testing for the global market is a huge milestone for the country and indeed the local healthcare market," says BGM Pharma co-founder and president of BGM Pharma, Martin Magwaza.

The molecular compound being developed by NECSA and UCT will be brought to the market by BGM and will initially be used to seek, identify and treat solid mass tumours such as those found in breast and ovarian cancer.

In collaboration with a team at NECSA, Professor Iqbal Parker (Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine), Professor Roger Hunter (Department of Chemistry) and their PhD student Cathryn Driver, developed a molecule for next-generation chemotherapy. The molecule was designed to operate via a two-stage mechanism. The first component of the GluCAB molecule identifies cancerous cells due to their surface signatures and binds to them, distinguishing them from normal cells. Thereafter the second component provides therapeutic doses of ionising radiation to kill malignant tumour cells.

Speaking about the deal, Magwaza says that medical innovation is alive and well in South Africa, adding that to take a molecule from doctoral thesis to clinical testing for the global market is a huge milestone for the country and, indeed, the local healthcare market. "Although we are a few years from market readiness, the initiation of clinical studies for a local technology is a significant development and represents progress in an area of healthcare that remains a major threat to people throughout the world," says Magwaza.

NECSA executive manager of new business development Brian Mphahlele says the GluCAB is set to significantly increase the market share of this class of medical treatment: therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Radiopharmaceuticals are unique medicinal formulations containing radioisotopes which are used in major clinical areas for diagnosis and/or therapy. The term "theranostics" was coined to define an agent used for diagnosis via imaging followed by therapy, and according to Magwaza, it is fast becoming the norm in personalised medicine.

"The intellectual property has been protected by NECSA and UCT with a contribution from the Department of Science and Technology's National IP Management Office," he says. "The advantages of the new compound over conventional cancer diagnostics and therapeutic procedures are many and include improved diagnosis and treatment, reduced patient recovery time, increased survival rates, and significantly lower pharmacological toxicity and side effects. This will not only have an impact on individual cancer patients and their families, but it promises to become a socio-economic driver in healthcare systems around the globe."

According to Stats SA, an estimated 41 647 deaths were reported in SA in 2014 while the World Health Organisation has predicted that the global burden of cancer will grow by 70% over the next two decades with an estimated 22 million new cases and 13 million deaths each year by 2032.

UCT deputy vice chancellor Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng says it is exciting to be part of such a meaningful partnership. "It is exciting to see UCT research being matured through the various development phases in partnership with industry and ultimately making an impact on society. The Faculty of Health Sciences plays a vital role in responding to SA problems in the context of African and global health challenges by supporting training and research."

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