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Starpharma’s DEP® platform is highly versatile and can be applied to a wide range of therapies and types of molecules, including small-molecule drugs, peptides, antibodies, and radioisotopes. This flexibility has enabled Starpharma to expand its work into radiopharmaceuticals, covering both imaging (radiodiagnostics) and targeted radiation therapies (radiotherapeutics).

Starpharma is progressing several DEP® radiopharmaceuticals programs involving both DEP® radiodiagnostics and DEP® radiotherapeutics.

Starpharma's DEP® HER2 Radiodiagnostic is a pre-clinical-stage radiodiagnostic product designed to specifically diagnose, stage, and monitor HER2-positive (HER2+) cancers with greater sensitivity, meaning patients suffering from these cancers could be diagnosed earlier, more accurately, and monitored more closely during cancer treatment. 

Starpharma's DEP® HER2 Radiotherapeutic is a pre-clinical-stage radiotherapeutic product designed to selectively penetrate and accumulate within HER2+ tumours and more effectively deliver radiation to kill tumour cells that may be unreachable by conventional therapies. 

Benefits of Starpharma’s DEP® technology in radiopharmaceuticals

Applying Starpharma’s DEP® technology to radiotheranostics has the potential to provide a number of therapeutic and commercial benefits, including:

Enhanced tumour accumulation due to enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect

Enhanced efficacy through tissue targeting and retention due to specific receptor binding

DEP® cabazitaxel is Starpharma's patented dendrimer nanoparticle formulation of the chemotherapy drug cabazitaxel, which is marketed as Jevtana® and widely used in the treatment of prostate cancer under the tradename Jevtana®. Unlike conventional cabazitaxel, DEP® cabazitaxel is highly water-soluble, does not contain toxic detergent-like excipients associated with anaphylaxis, and avoids the need for steroid pre-medication.

In both preclinical and clinical studies, DEP® cabazitaxel has shown an improved side effect profile in terms of key adverse events, notably markedly reduced bone marrow toxicity demonstrated by lower rates of severe neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and severe anaemia, which are all reportedly experienced by a significant proportion of patients treated with Jevtana®.

 DEP® cabazitaxel has patent filings to 2039 (plus up to an additional ~5 years).

DEP® cabazitaxel is a clinical-stage product/candidate. It has not received a marketing or regulatory authorisation in any jurisdiction.

DEP® docetaxel is a patented, dendrimer nanoparticle (dendrimer) formulation of docetaxel. Unlike conventional docetaxel, which uses polysorbate 80 that can trigger severe hypersensitivity reactions and other side effects, Starpharma's DEP® docetaxel is water-soluble and detergent-free. As a result, patients receiving DEP® docetaxel treatment do not require pre-medication with steroids or antihistamines.

In both preclinical and clinical studies, DEP® docetaxel has demonstrated an improved side effect profile in terms of key adverse events, including myelosuppression, oedema (fluid retention), alopecia (hair loss), and allergic reactions (anaphylaxis/hypersensitivity).

 DEP® docetaxel has patent filings to 2032 (plus up to an additional ~5 years).

DEP® docetaxel is a clinical-stage product/candidate. It has not received a marketing or regulatory authorisation in any jurisdiction.

Starpharma has applied its DEP® technology to Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs): targeted cancer treatments that use antibodies to deliver potent drugs directly to tumours. ADCs consist of antibodies, linkers, and toxic payloads. The active payloads in ADCs are mainly microtubule inhibitors and DNA-damaging agents, which are linked to the antibodies via chemical conjugation.

Key advantages of Starpharma’s DEP® platform for ADCs

Ability to achieve higher DAR (Drug-to-Antibody Ratio) and higher drug loading than conventional ADCs.

Greater flexibility in terms of linker strategies to precisely control drug release profiles.

Capacity to widen the therapeutic index of toxic drug payloads.

Ability to penetrate deeply into tumours, bind strongly to target cells and internalise for enhanced performance.

Enhanced efficacy leading to enhanced survival.

Flexibility in terms of compatible targeting agents, including biologics (whole antibodies and fragments), small molecules, peptides and other approaches.

DEP® SN38 is a patented nanoparticle (dendrimer) formulation of SN38 - the active metabolite of the chemotherapy drug irinotecan. SN38 is around 1,000 times more potent than irinotecan, but in its native form cannot be safely delivered because of insolubility and toxicity. By attaching SN38 to a dendrimer, DEP® SN38 can be administered directly - improving tumour targeting and significantly reducing severe gastrointestinal side-effects (like the diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting often seen with irinotecan).

In both preclinical and clinical studies, DEP® SN38 has demonstrated promising anti-tumour efficacy in patients with heavily pre-treated colorectal cancer and platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, as well as a favourable safety and tolerability profile.

DEP® SN38 represents a promising new drug candidate for companies looking to develop a treatment for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and/or advanced colorectal cancers, which are both areas of unmet clinical need.

Platinum-resistant/refractory ovarian cancer

DEP® SN38 is a patented nanoparticle formulation of SN38, which is the active metabolite of the anticancer drug irinotecan. SN38 is approximately 1000 times more active than its pro-drug, irinotecan, but cannot be delivered directly due to toxicity and insolubility. Instead, irinotecan must be converted to SN38 in the liver, leading to significant patient to patient variability in efficacy, and the generation of toxic metabolites that cause significant gut issues, including severe diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting. 

DEP® SN38 achieves solubilisation and allows for direct delivery of SN38, avoiding the need for metabolic conversion of irinotecan to SN38 in the liver. As a result, DEP® SN38 achieves greater tumour targeting of SN38 while significantly reducing severe gastrointestinal side effects. 

In Starpharma's Phase 2 study of DEP® SN38, reports of severe or life-threatening (≥ grade 3) diarrhoea were notably absent across more than 100 patients enrolled in the study.

 DEP® SN38 has patent filings to 2039 (plus up to an additional ~5 years).

DEP® SN38 is a clinical-stage product/candidate that has not received marketing or regulatory authorisation in any jurisdiction

Starpharma has developed a pipeline of novel DEP® oncology products. Our clinical-stage assets - DEP® SN38, DEP® cabazitaxel, and DEP® docetaxel - are dendrimer-based chemotherapeutic drugs that have demonstrated improvements in efficacy and tolerability in Phase 2 clinical trials. 

Starpharma is also advancing a preclinical pipeline of DEP® radiopharmaceuticals leveraging its advanced dendrimer technology to create differentiated assets for unmet medical needs.

Contact our business development team to explore partnership opportunities with Starpharma.

Business Development
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