WED AM News: SHINE touting cancer drug research results, grant from Dutch government; Survey finds support for federal funding to improve housing affordability

October 23, 2024

— Early research on cancer drugs that use SHINE Technologies’ Illumira product found they could extend patients’ lifespans and more effectively treat kidney and prostate cancer, the Janesville company announced.

The business and WARF Therapeutics, the drug discovery program of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, recently released findings from research conducted at UW-Madison’s Advanced Radiotheranostics Lab. It focused on two treatments: WT-7695 and ART-101.

Both include SHINE’s non-carrier added lutetium-177 chloride, called Illumira. The radioactive isotope Lu-177 can kill cancer cells with a strong dose of radiation guided by “cancer-seeking radiopharmaceutical agents,” while sparing healthy tissues.

SHINE CEO and founder Greg Piefer says the research fundings offer “further validation that Ilumira is more effective than the standard of care” for treating cancer.

“We’re on the verge of an amazing frontier in cancer treatment,” Piefer said in a statement. “I believe we’re going to move from merely fighting disease progression to actually curing patients.”

Results for one of the cancer drugs, WT-7695, found “unprecedently high tumor uptake” over a 24-hour period and significant retention in tumors after seven days, the release shows. Studies of its treatment applications found major tumor regression and a 100% survival rate in a mouse model for kidney cancer. More studies on the drug are planned for early 2025.

At the same time, the ART-101 drug for prostate cancer was found to perform better than the current standard therapy, resulting in “superior tumor growth inhibition” compared to other radiopharmaceuticals. It causes about three times as much Lu-177 reaching tumors and staying there for an extended period, the release shows. SHINE says the results “set the stage for human trials” to determine how it could help prostate cancer patients.

Dr. Reinier Hernandez, assistant professor of medical physics and radiology at UW-Madison, is the principal investigator for the studies. He says radiopharmaceuticals are becoming increasingly important for cancer treatment “given their meaningful clinical activity and high tolerability” compared to chemotherapy.

“This is very exciting for the future of cancer treatment, and we have just begun to scratch the surface,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, SHINE is also touting a grant of about $11.3 million awarded by the Dutch government to University Medical Center Groningen and SHINE Europe, the company’s European subsidiary. The funding is going toward the “Terbium for Life” project, which aims to improve Europe’s cancer treatment capabilities and strengthen the continent’s supply chain for medical isotopes.

The effort aims to establish a European supply chain for terbium isotopes, which have similar properties to Lu-177. Terbium-161 has been found to “extend lifetimes, improve quality of life, and result in fewer side effects” for cancer patients, according to a release.

“This grant will go a long way in supporting our work, alongside UMCG, to provide European patients with easier access to promising new therapies that can support their ongoing fight against cancer,” said Harrie Buurlage, vice president of strategic alliances at SHINE Europe.

See more on the research results.

Listen to a recent WisBusiness podcast with Piefer.

— A recent “public consultation survey” found broad support among Wisconsin respondents for additional federal funding and support for affordable housing.

The survey was conducted by the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy’s Program for Public Consultation ahead of November’s election in swing states Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and nationally. In Wisconsin, the survey tapped 603 adults Oct. 4-14, with samples gathered from multiple online panels, according to a release.

Respondents in public consultation surveys go through an online “policymaking simulation” which provides them with briefings and arguments both for and against various policy proposals.

Seventy-three percent of Wisconsin respondents supported a policy to put $40 billion in federal funding toward building or repairing housing that’s affordable for “very low and low-income” households through grants to cities and states and support for more low-interest loans for home builders. It was also supported by 57% of Republicans and 87% of Democrats, the release shows.

Sixty-nine percent of Wisconsinites support putting $25 billion toward building or repairing affordable housing for low- to middle-income households through grants. It was also more popular among Democrats with 84% support, versus 54% for Republicans.

Meanwhile, 73% of state respondents support a tax credit for building or repairing housing for rent, with 60% set aside for middle-income households. Sixty-one percent of Republicans and 86% of Democrats supported this policy.

And sixty-eight percent of Wisconsinites in the survey supported a tax incentive for building or repairing housing that’s affordable for low- to middle-income people to buy in low-income, non-urban areas. For Republicans, support was at 61% and for Democrats, 78%.

About two-thirds of Wisconsinites supported two proposals for reducing large corporate ownership of houses, survey organizers found. Sixty-six percent of respondents in the state support requiring corporations with more than $50 million in assets to sell all single-family houses, townhouses and duplexes within 10 years and barring them from buying any more. This proposal is backed by 81% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans.

The other corporate home ownership policy — denying federal tax deductions related to house ownership for corporations that own more than 50 single-family houses, townhouses or duplexes — was supported by 67% of Wisconsin respondents, 55% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats.

In a section of the survey focused on zoning for new housing, 70% of state respondents supported their local government allowing the construction of more dense and mixed-use housing. Support was at 83% for Democrats and 55% for Republicans.

”In the swing states, bipartisan majorities want the Federal government to pursue an active and multi-pronged approach to deal with the high cost of housing,” Steven Kull, director of the Program for Public Consultation, said in a statement on the survey.

See full results here.

— A South Carolina-based private credit firm called Altriarch Asset Management has announced a $70 million commitment from the State of Wisconsin Investment Board.

Of that total, $20 million is allocated to the company’s “specialty finance strategy,” which has a network of secured finance operators around the country, according to the release. The other $50 million has been designated as seed capital for an unspecified “forthcoming strategy.”

Danielle Brown, managing partner and co-CEO for Altriarch, said the investment “underscores the continued confidence” that institutional investors such as SWIB have in the business.

“We are dedicated to delivering what we believe are attractive risk-adjusted returns in the illiquid credit market through disciplined underwriting and strong risk management practices,” Brown said in a statement.

See the release.

Top headlines from the Health Care Report…

— The Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging is raising awareness about the health impacts of social isolation and loneliness, which can increase the chances of serious health problems.

And dozens of events are planned in Wisconsin for this weekend’s National Drug Take Back Day, the state Department of Justice announced.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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