WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Jan. 29, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Endocyte, Inc. (Nasdaq:ECYT), a biopharmaceutical company developing targeted small molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) and companion imaging diagnostics for personalized therapy, today announced the achievement of key objectives in a Phase 0 study of EC0652, a diagnostic imaging agent targeting prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a protein expressed on cancer cells originating from the prostate as well as on tumor neovasculature. Based on the observed safety of the agent and its specificity for binding to diseased cells, Endocyte is advancing the development of both the diagnostic imaging agent, EC0652, and the corresponding therapeutic agent, EC1069, a proprietary PSMA-targeted SMDC linked with the potent anti-cancer drug tubulysin. Endocyte expects to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for EC1069 by the end of 2013.
