TAE Life Sciences and CNAO (National Center of Oncological Hadrontherapy) Announce a Research and Clinical Collaboration for the Implementation of a New Facility with Boron Neutron Capture Therapy System in Italy

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TAE Life Sciences (TLS), a biologically-targeted radiation therapy company developing a breakthrough, accelerator-based boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) system, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with National Center of Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) to provide its Alphabeam™ Neutron System for the treatment of invasive, recurrent and difficult to treat cancers.

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TAE Life Sciences’ Boron Neutron Capture Therapy System (Graphic: Business Wire)

BNCT research has demonstrated compelling results for some of the most difficult to treat cancers, including recurrent head and neck, glioblastomas and melanoma. This technique looks promising in treating cancer patients for whom other treatment options have been exhausted or unavailable.

“Our partnership with renowned CNAO underscores the growing momentum for the adoption of BNCT as a cancer therapy that delivers more precise targeted radiation to cancer cells while sparing surrounding healthy tissue,” said Bruce Bauer, Chief Executive Officer of TAE Life Sciences. “Our novel targeted boron-10 drugs that are in development and proprietary state-of-the-art accelerator-based neutron source have the potential to make BNCT a new pillar in cancer therapy and working with CNAO, a leading world cancer center, will enable us to further our goal of truly changing the landscape of cancer treatment.”

TLS’s patented neutron source has been specifically designed for clinical BNCT use in a hospital facility and produces low-energy neutrons that neutralize tumors containing accumulated boron-10, a non-toxic, non-radioactive isotope that when administered to a patient selectively collects in cancer cells. Because the boron-10 carrier drug is highly targeted to cancer cells, a patient can be treated in just one or two treatment sessions, without many of the side effects of traditional radiation therapy.

“The addition of the Alphabeam System is integral to our plans to expand our therapeutic reach and will enable us to conduct clinical BNCT research for the treatment of head and neck cancers, brain cancers like glioblastomas and malignant melanomas,” said Prof. Gianluca Vago, President of CNAO. “The Alphabeam System will be installed alongside a new proton system to provide complimentary radiation therapy treatment. With the implementation of this new technology, and the collaboration of many institutions, like INFN and University of Pavia among others, CNAO will be the unique facility able to combine treatments with protons, heavy ions (carbon ions and other species) and neutrons for BNCT. This partnership supports our vision of a multidisciplinary approach towards a customized cancer therapy to benefit patients.”

About CNAO

CNAO, located in Pavia, Italy is one of only six centers globally able to perform hadrontherapy with both protons and carbon ions and has treated more than 3.000 oncological patients. CNAO was established and is operated by the CNAO Foundation, a non-profit organization funded by the Italian Health Ministry. CNAO is a Research and Development Centre whose activities range from radiobiology to medical physics, from accelerator physics to translational research, aimed at continuously improving treatment skills. More information about CNAO is available at https://fondazionecnao.it/en/

About BNCT

BNCT is a combination treatment based on the reaction that occurs when a non-toxic compound containing boron-10 is irradiated with a low-energy neutron beam. BNCT differs radically from other radiation therapy and shows promise in becoming the next-generation cancer treatment. Research has shown BNCT has the capability of killing cancer cells that are resistant to traditional radiation therapy with limited harm to healthy tissue. Current advances in both neutron radiation technology and medicinal boron drug targeting are enabling BNCT’s potential to improve patient care while also improving treatment economics. To date, approximately 2,000 patients have been treated with BNCT at research sites worldwide.

About TAE Life Sciences

TAE Life Sciences (TLS) is a privately-held biotechnology company committed to developing a new biologically-targeted radiation therapy based on Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). TLS is developing the next generation targeted boron drugs and low-energy accelerator-based neutron source – optimized for an in-hospital BNCT program that can one day treat patients with the most aggressive and recurrent cancers. TLS has assembled a world-class, cross-functional team of clinicians, radiation oncologists, physicists, and other researchers to enable it to bring this technology to cancer patients who need it most. TLS’s drug and device are currently in development and have not been approved for sale. More information about TAE Life Sciences is available at www.taelifesciences.com

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