AdvanCell Announces $18M MRFF Funding for Targeted Prostate Cancer Therapy
AdvanCell, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company at the forefront of targeted cancer therapeutics, has received a significant boost from the Australian Federal Government. The company announced today that it has secured AUD $18 million in funding through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Frontiers Initiative. This substantial grant will support AdvanCell’s groundbreaking research program titled “Defeating Prostate Cancer with Targeted Alpha Therapy”, a visionary initiative designed to reshape the landscape of prostate cancer care using next-generation radiopharmaceutical technology.
Prostate cancer remains one of the most common cancers affecting men worldwide. In Australia alone, approximately one in every eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Despite advances in diagnostics and therapeutics, metastatic and treatment-resistant prostate cancer continues to present considerable challenges, often leading to diminished quality of life and limited survival options for patients.
Recognizing this urgent unmet medical need, AdvanCell is spearheading a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional clinical research initiative that aims to deliver novel, targeted alpha therapies (TATs) directly to the clinic. This strategy brings together leading scientific institutions, clinical researchers, and radiopharmaceutical innovators under a common goal—to dramatically improve outcomes for patients living with prostate cancer.
Revolutionizing Treatment Through Targeted Alpha Therapy
At the heart of this ambitious program is AdvanCell’s proprietary Lead-212 (²¹²Pb) alpha isotope production technology. Lead-212 is an alpha-emitting radioisotope capable of delivering highly potent, localized radiation to tumor cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. By conjugating this isotope to tumor-targeting molecules, AdvanCell’s technology offers the potential to selectively destroy cancerous cells at the microscopic level, including those that are undetectable by conventional imaging or resistant to existing therapies.
Unlike traditional forms of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, targeted alpha therapy offers a new paradigm in oncology: a highly specific and lethal attack on cancer cells with minimal systemic toxicity. AdvanCell’s approach, enabled by their in-house isotope manufacturing platform, places the company at the cutting edge of radiopharmaceutical development globally.
With the newly awarded MRFF funding, AdvanCell plans to launch a first-in-field clinical platform trial to evaluate ²¹²Pb-based TATs in prostate cancer patients. This trial is designed not only to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the therapy but also to explore optimal therapeutic combinations and sequencing strategies that could enhance outcomes and prolong survival.
A Collaborative Frontiers Project to Transform Prostate Cancer Care
The MRFF Frontiers Initiative was established to fund highly innovative research programs with the potential to revolutionize clinical practice. AdvanCell’s project is a textbook example of this mission—bringing together a formidable team of leading physician-scientists, academic researchers, and translational medicine experts.
Dr. Anna Karmann, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of AdvanCell, emphasized the potential impact of the funding:
“On behalf of all Co-Investigators, I would like to thank the Australian Government and the MRFF Frontiers Initiative committee for this prestigious award. Targeted alpha therapies are among the most promising developments in oncology. We believe this MRFF-funded research can be practice-changing and have a lasting positive impact on the lives of patients with prostate cancer. We highly value the support and opportunity this funding provides to fast-track translation and accelerate the development of novel combination therapies in an industry-academic partnership.”
The clinical leadership team includes two of Australia’s most respected physician-researchers: Professor Louise Emmett of St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney and the University of New South Wales, and Professor Shahneen Sandhu of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. Their combined expertise in nuclear medicine, oncology, and clinical trials will drive the design and execution of the platform trial at the heart of this project.
Prof. Emmett expressed her optimism about the project’s clinical implications:
“This collaborative Frontiers grant gives us the tools to deeply evaluate optimal combinations with targeted alpha therapy in prostate cancer – aiming for longer, better lives using great technology in a smart way.”
Prof. Sandhu added:
“Our MRFF grant will accelerate the development of innovative targeted alpha therapy combinations designed to enhance patient care and clinical outcomes.”
A National and International Network of Scientific Excellence
Beyond the clinical setting, AdvanCell’s project is supported by an extensive team of scientific collaborators drawn from Australia’s leading universities and research institutes. This network includes Professor Richard Payne from the University of Sydney; Professor Matt Trau, Dr. Alain Wuethrich, and Dr. Kevin Koo from the University of Queensland; Dr. Scott Lovell from the University of Bath in the UK; Associate Professor Serigne Lo from the Melanoma Institute Australia; and Dr. Thomas Kryza and Dr. Simon Puttick from AdvanCell’s internal research division.
Together, these investigators bring a breadth of expertise in medicinal chemistry, molecular imaging, translational biology, bioengineering, and clinical statistics. Their contributions will be critical in developing novel radiopharmaceutical constructs, optimizing biodistribution, and identifying predictive biomarkers to guide patient selection.
Professor Stephen Rose, Head of Translational Medicine and Clinical Science at AdvanCell, underscored the strategic value of the MRFF investment:
“The MRFF funding supports Australian innovation to drive the establishment of sovereign manufacturing capabilities to accelerate clinical translation of ²¹²Pb-targeted alpha therapy. This grant will not only fast-track clinical access for patients in Australia but also position the country as a global leader in radiopharmaceutical innovation.”
Building a Future of Precision Oncology in Australia
AdvanCell’s MRFF-funded project represents more than just a clinical trial—it symbolizes a paradigm shift in how prostate cancer could be treated in the future. Through strategic partnerships between academia, industry, and government, the initiative sets a new benchmark for translational oncology in Australia. It also highlights the critical role of sovereign radiopharmaceutical manufacturing infrastructure in ensuring domestic and international supply chains for life-saving therapies.
By advancing targeted alpha therapy from lab bench to bedside, AdvanCell and its partners are laying the foundation for a new class of precision radiopharmaceuticals that could redefine therapeutic standards across multiple tumor types.
In the coming years, as the clinical trials unfold and new data emerges, the potential ripple effects of this MRFF Frontiers grant may extend well beyond prostate cancer—opening doors to new treatment avenues in other hard-to-treat cancers and solidifying Australia’s place as a global radiopharmaceutical powerhouse.
