Joint research agreement with Osaka University on a novel PET probe (NKO 028)

September 11, 2017
J-Pharma Co., Ltd.

J-Pharma Co., Ltd. entered into a collaborative research agreement with Professor J. Hatazawa at Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine for the evaluation of our novel PET probe (NKO 028) targeting LAT1 specifically expressed on cancer cells.

The current PET (Positron Emission Tomography) diagnosis uses FDG (18 F-fluorodeoxy glucose) as a probe, which has a fluorine isotope bonded to a glucose analogue. The glucose transporter on the cell surface transports FDG into the cell, and gamma-rays emitted from fluorine isotope provide tomography. However, the glucose transporter is expressed not only in cancer cells but also in normal cells. Lesions other than cancer, such as inflammation, brain, urinary tract organ, etc. and false positives, have become a problem.

Our new PET probe (NKO 028) developed jointly by Professor J. Hatazawa of Osaka University targets LAT1 which is specifically expressed on cancer cells and enable to depict only cancer. Our new PET probe (NKO 028) is expected to become a selective / specific PET probe that can distinguish between cancer and inflammation.

The investigator-initiated trial on the POC (Proof of Concept) will be completed by the end of March 2018 and will enter the clinical trial. NKO 028 is a new PET probe developed by Professor K. Kanai of Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Pharmacology (Biosystem Pharmacology).