Cellectar Biosciences: Announces publication of findings demonstrating efficacy of its phospholipid ether analog platform in detecting colorectal cancer

MADISON, Wis., Oct. 15, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cellectar Biosciences,
Inc. (Nasdaq:CLRB), announced that an article reporting the efficacy of
its proprietary phospholipid ether (PLE) analog agents for the
detection, imaging and real-time visualization of colorectal cancer was
published in PLOS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed publication.

Cellectar is developing a novel drug delivery and retention technology
engineered to specifically target and accumulate in malignant tissue.
By attaching various agents to this common structure, the company has
built a robust pipeline of both diagnostic and therapeutic agents that
seek to detect, treat or illuminate cancerous tissue.

Recent preclinical and clinical evaluations assessed the efficacy of
two of Cellectar’s PLE-based agents to successfully accumulate in and
illuminate malignant tissue in colon cancer, the results of which are
detailed in the current edition of PLOS ONE in an article entitled:
“Phospholipid Ether Analogs for the Detection of Colorectal Tumors.”

In an animal model of colon cancer, CLR1502, Cellectar’s PLE platform
linked to a fluorescent agent that allows for real-time visualization
of cancer tissue, was found to accumulate in intestinal tumors,
distinguish malignant from non-malignant tissues and highlight regional
lymph nodes. The authors speculate that CLR1502 may aid in the
resection of colon cancer with adequate margins and in identifying
regional lymph nodes and mesenteric tumor deposits.

The authors also examined data from a Phase I clinical trial in which a
patient with metastatic colon cancer was administered I-131-CLR1404,
Cellectar’s PLE platform paired with a radiotherapeutic commonly used
to treat thyroid and other cancer types. This data indicated that
I-131-CLR1404 accumulated in human colon cancer metastases. The authors
suggest this may highlight the potential value not only of
I-131-CLR1404 in colorectal cancer treatment but also, given the shared
core structure, of I-124-CLR1404 as a PET imaging agent for this
disease.

“Achieving adequate surgical margins during resection of the primary
tumor and proper identification of regional lymph node involvement is
critical to the successful treatment of colorectal cancer,” said Dr.
Dustin Deming, assistant professor and medical oncologist at the
University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. “These data provide
evidence that CLR1502 might enhance the ability to properly resect
colorectal cancers through better localization of the primary tumor,
use of real-time illumination of tumors as a surgical aid, and improved
lymph node identification.”

The full article can be found online at:
http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109668