Radiopharmaceutical developer Navidea Biopharmaceuticals and its Macrophage Therapeutics subsidiary are touting the results of their Manocept clinical trial for Kaposi's sarcoma.
The results indicate that technetium-99m (Tc-99m) tilmanocept, part of the Manocept group of agents, can be used in HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients to visualize and map Kaposi's sarcoma lesions for routine assessment. The Manocept platform could also represent a therapeutic pathway for targeting tumor-associated macrophages, the company said.
Manocept agents are designed to target CD206, which is highly expressed on tumor-associated macrophages and the Kaposi's sarcoma tumor itself. As a potential therapeutic, Manocept could be used as a precision vehicle to deliver treatment to tumor sites throughout the body.
The study results were reported at the International Workshop on Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV) and Related Agents in Hollywood, FL.
