ImmuPharma PLC on Monday said it has signed an initial collaboration agreement with Orano SA for its peptide technology.

The London-based drug discovery and development company said Orano has paid a small undisclosed fee for a 12-month collaboration to identify radiotherapy candidates for cancer treatment.

Under the deal, ImmuPharma will provide its peptide technology ‘to explore the potential to allow delivery of a potent radioactive isotope to the core of a cancer cell’, the company said.

The company’s Bordeaux, France-based team, ImmuPharma Biotech, will work with Orano and the Cancer Research Centre of Lyon, to identify molecules that can carry a the radioactive entity.

Orano is a Chatillon, France-based nuclear energy services provider.

The therapeutic aim of the collaboration is to use peptide technology to ‘deliver a radioactive bullet to the nucleus of cancer cells, killing the cell with minimal impact on surrounding tissue’.

‘The combination of ImmuPharma’s peptide technology and a powerful radioactive bullet is an exciting new approach with significant commercial potential,’ the company said.

The company noted that any potential net cancer therapeutic discovered in the collaboration will be subject to a full licensing agreement between the two companies.

Chief Executive Officer Tim McCarthy said: ‘It is the ideal program for our peptide asset given its ability to enter the nucleus of cancer cells. The combination of our peptide as a nuclear targeting vector, combined with the short-range destructive qualities of Orano’s radioactive bullet makes this a logical collaboration for both companies.

‘Furthermore, we potentially create a new product life cycle for our peptide. We look forward to working with Orano and the Cancer Research Centre of Lyon over the next 12 months.’

ImmuPharma shares were up 6.8% trading at 2.44 pence per share on Monday morning in London.

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