XenoSTART and Minerva Imaging have expanded their long-standing partnership to create what they describe as a fully integrated platform for radiopharmaceutical drug development. The collaboration combines XenoSTART’s patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models with Minerva Imaging’s molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy capabilities, aiming to support projects from discovery through to clinical translation.

Radiopharmaceuticals are emerging as a fast-growing treatment class in oncology, designed to deliver targeted radiation directly to tumours while sparing healthy tissue. Already used in metastatic prostate cancer, researchers are now testing the approach in earlier stages of disease and in other cancers such as breast and neuroendocrine tumours. This has created growing demand for translational platforms that can demonstrate effectiveness more quickly and with less risk.

Nick Slack, chairman and chief executive of START, said: “By combining XenoSTART’s clinically annotated PDX models with Minerva Imaging’s facilities for radiopharmaceutical drug development, we are delivering the gold standard in translational oncology research to target cancers such as prostate.”

Minerva Imaging, based in Denmark, provides preclinical and clinical services as a contract research and manufacturing organisation with a focus on radiopharmaceuticals. The company’s capabilities include PET/CT, SPECT/CT and MRI imaging, orthotopic in-vivo models, and GMP-certified manufacturing for clinical supply. Carsten Nielsen, chief executive of Minerva Imaging, said: “By strengthening our collaboration with XenoSTART and START, we are creating a powerful translational bridge for collaborators to move promising therapies from bench to bedside.”

XenoSTART’s PDX repository is built from tumour samples donated by patients across START’s global clinical trial network. According to the company, this ensures that models represent real-world disease, including resistance patterns and treatment histories.

Michael Wick, chief scientific officer of XenoSTART, added: “XenoSTART provides the most predictive preclinical platform in the industry. Expanding our work with Minerva Imaging ensures sponsors benefit from integration of these models with advanced radiopharmaceutical development, particularly in prostate cancer.”

The partners said the expanded platform is intended to shorten timelines for radiopharmaceutical development and improve confidence before therapies enter the clinic.