Info
Description
AVB-620 is Avelas’ first clinical molecule based on a molecular delivery platform which uses a tumor’s inherent biochemical activity to target the cell and deliver cargo to the inside of the cell. While this platform allows for the delivery of a variety of cargo, AVB-620 delivers a fluorescent cargo which can be utilized by surgeons to distinguish cancerous tissue from non-cancerous tissue. This is a particular problem across a number of cancer surgeries, and in our first indication of breast cancer, incomplete surgical excision occurs 20-40% of the time. These incomplete excisions lead to additional surgeries and higher costs
AVB-620 is an IV agent which fluoresces in one wavelength when inactive and a different wavelength when activated via cleavage by the activity in the tumor microenvironment. This ratio of the intensity of the two wavelengths allows for a prediction of the likelihood of the tissue containing cancer which can be shown to the surgeon in real-time allowing her to identify if additional tissue needs to be removed at the time of surgery. AVB-620 has been given to nearly 100 patients with an excellent safety profile. Applications for this technology may include surgeries for other cancer types such as head and neck cancers, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and gastrointestinal cancers.