PetCure Oncology & Nanovi Announce PetXmark™ Partnership To Introduce Fiducial Guided Stereotactic Radiotherapy For Pet Patients With Cancers
Chicago, IL and Copenhagen, Denmark – December 7, 2017 – PetCure Oncology Inc. (PetCure) and Nanovi A/S (Nanovi) announced an exclusive agreement to use PetXmark™ in the development and commercialization of fiducial guided Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT) for dogs and cats. PetCure is the leading provider of SRT for pets in the U.S.; a treatment approach delivering precisely targeted radiation in few high-dose fractions. SRT requires precision, and the use of PetXmark™, a liquid fiducial tissue marker, invented by Nanovi, enables this treatment precision.
According to the United States’ Veterinary Cancer Society, an estimated 6 million dogs and a similar number of cats are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. every year. The majority of pet cancers are located in the skin or subcutaneous tissues, for which the recommended treatment is surgery followed by radiotherapy.
Under the terms of the agreement, PetCure will initially utilize PetXmark™ to enable SRT of incompletely resected malignant tumors of the skin and subcutaneous tissues in dogs and cats. PetXmark™ can be injected along the surgical incision and changes viscosity upon injection to form a marker, which is visible on later imaging[i] as a surrogate target to guide treatment. So far, SRT has not been an available option for pet patients with incompletely resected malignant tumors of the skin and subcutaneous tissues due to lack of appropriate treatment precision. The use of PetXmark™ opens the possibility to treat in a single fraction radiotherapy, rather than in the 19-21 fractions typically recommended following surgery.
PetCure recently completed a pilot study using PetXmark™ in canine patients. Based on the pilot study, PetCure has determined the procedure to be well tolerated with no acute side effects. The pilot study is followed by an ongoing outcome study with planned enrollment of 50-60 dogs. This study will be the first controlled, prospective clinical study in veterinary literature designed to truly define the risks and benefits of this kind of radiation therapy for incompletely resected tumors.
“Early clinical results are encouraging, and we are continuing long-term data collection and outcome analysis in an ongoing clinical trial,” said Dr. Neal Mauldin, chief medical officer of PetCure Oncology.
“PetCure Oncology is committed to advancing clinical veterinary research and we’re providing more options for cancer treatment in pets and for their families.”
Jesper Boysen, acting CEO and board member of Nanovi commented: “We are excited about our partnership with PetCure and about the potential of PetXmark™ to facilitate a new therapeutic offering to pet oncology patients. The partnership validates the opportunities in our portfolio of liquid tissue markers to enable new therapeutic approaches in the field of cancer therapy.”
About PetCure Oncology
PetCure Oncology is the national leader in radiation oncology for pets and the leading provider of stereotactic radiation (SRS/SRT) for pets in terms of both treatment centers and patients treated. With eight current locations, PetCure has treated more than 1,200 pet patients with radiation therapy since opening its first center in May of 2015. To learn more about PetCure Oncology or SRS/SRT, visit PetCureOncology.com or call 833-738-4376.
About Nanovi