June 28, 2024
Toronto, Ontario—The SNMMI Mars Shot Research Fund is excited to announce that Labros Meimetis, PhD, research assistant professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, has been selected as the recipient of a $100,000 Innovator’s grant from the 2024 Mars Shot Fund. Meimetis’ Mars Shot grant was awarded based on his proposal, “Targeted Radiovaccination for Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer.”
Metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is incurable and the most lethal form of prostate cancer. Of the estimated three million prostate cancer patients in the United States, approximately 50,000 deaths were attributed to mCRPC in 2023. The five-year survival rate for patients with mCRPC is approximately 15 percent.
“While several physiological factors lead to the resilience of mCRPC towards treatment, two key features contribute the most: a highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and tumor heterogeneity,” stated Meimetis. “Neither of these clinical challenges are successfully addressed by U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments or late-stage clinical trial therapies.”
Meimetis’ study aims to continue the discovery phase of a new targeted therapy that combines a therapeutic radiometal with an immunostimulant to treat heterogeneous mCRPC. Known as RadioIMmunoStimulant (RIMS), this treatment paradigm has the potential to achieve heterogeneous tumor regression and a long-term protective immunological memory against future tumor recurrence.
“The preliminary data of our proof-of-concept molecule significantly outperforms the FDA approved treatment (177Lu-PSMA-617) for mCRPC in preclinical syngeneic mouse models of prostate cancer,” noted Meimetis. “We look forward to building on this promising data and further develop the RIMS strategy as an effective therapeutic paradigm for mCRPC.”
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Meimetis’ research is focused on developing new drug paradigms to overcome clinical challenges in difficult to treat cancers, namely tumor heterogeneity and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Areas of investigation include targeted delivery of therapeutic radiometals with immunostimulants, antibody drug conjugates effective against quiescent cells, and biologic prodrugs to elicit immune cell penetration into solid tumors.
The SNMMI Mars Shot Research Fund, established in 2023, provides resources that translate visionary nuclear medicine imaging, radiopharmaceutical therapy and data science research or projects into tools or treatments that will help improve the lives of patients.
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About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to advancing nuclear medicine and molecular imaging—vital elements of precision medicine that allow diagnosis and treatment to be tailored to individual patients in order to achieve the best possible outcomes.
SNMMI’s members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit www.snmmi.org.