The ETH/PHRT-funded clinical studies “RAPID 01” and “PROGNOSTICS” have successfully started recruiting patients. The “RAPID 01” study, which is investigating patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) who have not responded to standard therapy or who have suffered a relapse, and the ‘PROGNOSTICS’ study on the treatment of metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer with a new radiopharmaceutical have already enrolled several patients in the clinical trials. Both studies implement health technologies developed in the ETH Domain which aim to enable personalised and improved patient care.
“I am very pleased that we have received approval from Swissmedic thanks to the good cooperation of all those involved and that the study can now enter the clinical phase,” says Berend Snijder, systems biologist at ETH Zurich, who is leading the “RAPID 01” study in collaboration with Markus Manz and Alexandre Theocharides from the University Hospital Zurich. “The plan is to examine the blood of a total of 88 AML-patients with our “pharmacoscopy” technology, which was further developed at ETH Zurich, and thus contribute to the personalized treatment of patients,” explains Snijder.
With pharmacoscopy, a small tissue or blood sample from the patient is combined with a range of different pharmaceuticals in the laboratory. In a second step, the cells are stained using immunofluorescence. Then, millions of images are taken using automated high-throughput microscopy and are analyzed with the help of artificial intelligence. By examining the reactions of the individual samples, personalized therapy suggestions can be generated. This approach reduces the need for patients to undergo several courses of chemotherapy in order to find a suitable treatment.
“PROGNOSTICS" study already in full swing
The second PHRT-financed clinical study “PROGNOSTICS” has been applying a radiopharmaceutical containing “terbium-161” developed at PSI to patients since March 2024. The project leader, Roger Schibli, Head of the Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (CRS) at PSI, is working together with Damian Wild, Alin-Florin Chirindel and Guillaume Nicolas from the University Hospital Basel and Nicola Aceto from ETH Zurich. “If our hypothesis with this drug proves to be true, then patients with prostate cancer could be treated more effectively in future,” says Roger Schibli. “It was a joint effort, everyone involved in the project and it is thanks to a lot of voluntary overtime that we have come this far together,” says Cristina Müller, group leader at the CRS, who has been involved in the development of this radiopharmaceutical for over 10 years conducted the preclinical studies which PHRT also supported. For the clinical study, a total of 36 patients will be administered with the newly developed radiopharmaceutical.
The study involves the application of the newly developed terbium-161 containing radiopharmaceutical in a Phase I study at different dosages for patients suffering from metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The radiopharmaceutical was developed in such a way that both the radionuclide and the targeting agent were optimized, which could represent an improved alternative to radiopharmaceuticals currently using lutetium-177. Thanks to physical properties of terbium-161, individual micro metastases may be better destroyed, and a return of the cancer may be prevented or significantly delayed. Preclinical studies have repeatedly demonstrated the effectiveness of this novel radionuclide. In the currently on-going first part of the clinical study, the dosimetry is being investigated so that, in the second part of the study, the dosage shall be increased with the goal of reaching therapeutic efficacy.
Bernd Wollscheid, Chairman of the PHRT Executive Committee, adds: “It’s great to see that the initial vision of ETH/PHRT to bring benefits to patients through data insights gained in translational research programs can now be realized and tested in interventional clinical trials to change the current standard of care together our clinical partners at University Spital Zurich and University Hospital Basel.”
About PHRT: Personalized Health and Related Technologies (PHRT) is a strategic focus area of the ETH Domain, dedicated to advancing personalized healthcare through the integration of cutting-edge technologies, research collaborations, and innovative clinical trials. PHRT aims to bridge the gap between academia and clinical practice, driving the development and implementation of transformative healthcare solutions. PHRT has been promoting the testing and integration of ETH technologies into clinical practice for the benefit of patients since 2017. Activities in the first phase until 2020 focused on launching three technology platforms, specifically the Swiss Multi-Omics Center (SMOC), and on funding more than 120 health-related research projects of various types. With its recent call for clinical trials, PHRT reached its goal of the second phase to close the gap between research and practical implementation in the clinical setting.
About ETH Domain: the ETH Domain encompasses six Swiss research institutions: ETH Zurich (ETHZ), EPF Lausanne (EPFL), Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Empa, Eawag and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). ETHZ, EPFL, PSI and Empa are the partners of the strategic focus area PHRT.
