In a recent video interview with Pharmaceutical Technology, Mike Ritchie, Chief Commercial Officer at Champions Oncology, shared his perspective on the fast-evolving field of radiopharmaceuticals. Drawing on his 20 years of experience in cancer research and leadership roles at Pfizer and Champions, Mike highlighted what makes radiopharmaceuticals unique, the challenges they present, and how advanced models and real-world data are shaping their development.
Q: What is unique about the use of radiopharmaceuticals to treat cancer?
Radiopharmaceuticals have actually been around for nearly a century. In the early days, radiation was directed externally using large machines to treat tumors. Over time, the technology evolved to address internal tumors as well. What makes today different is the transformation inspired by antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). ADCs showed us that toxic payloads could be delivered precisely to tumors, sparing healthy tissue. After decades of learning how to design and manufacture ADCs effectively, we now understand what makes a targeted therapy work.
Radiopharmaceuticals are taking a similar approach. By linking radioactive isotopes—what Mike calls “radio ligands”—to antibodies, scientists can deliver radiation directly to cancer cells. This creates radio-drug conjugates, an exciting new mechanism of action that could address unmet needs, expand the therapeutic index, and potentially offer safer treatment options for patients.
Q: What are the challenges associated with developing radiopharmaceuticals?
The hurdles fall into two categories: drug development and tumor biology.
From a development standpoint, researchers are still learning how to design radiopharmaceuticals that are stable, manufacturable at scale, and behave predictably in patients. Linking a radioligand to an antibody is a complex chemistry challenge, and improving these linkers remains a key opportunity for the field.
Biologically, we are just beginning to understand which tumor types and molecular subgroups are most responsive. As with other therapies, some cancers will respond while others develop resistance. Identifying the right patient cohorts will be critical as these drugs advance through clinical development.
Q: How are PDX models used in radiopharmaceutical testing?
Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models play a central role in this area. They allow researchers to test radiopharmaceuticals in tumor models that more closely mirror the clinical setting.
Patients in clinical trials are often heavily pretreated, with metastatic disease across multiple organs. These advanced lesions are the ones that ultimately determine patient outcomes, so therapies must be tested against representative biology.
At Champions, large PDX libraries are used to simulate clinical trials in animals, testing drugs across diverse tumors. The results not only reveal where a therapy works, but also highlight the molecular features linked to response or resistance. This helps guide patient selection strategies for clinical trials.
Q: What role does real-world data play in radiopharmaceutical development?
Real-world data provides critical context: how patients are treated, how they respond, the stage and metastatic nature of their disease. But Mike emphasizes that pairing this clinical information with deep molecular data is where the real value lies.
Champions is unique in combining these two layers. Their datasets link real-world patient outcomes with rich tumor profiling, including whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, proteomics, phospho-proteomics, and cell surface proteomics.
This combination allows researchers to uncover vulnerabilities in tumors, predict resistance mechanisms, and design smarter clinical trials. When companies run simulated trials at Champions, they can leverage this integrated dataset to refine predictions and improve translational relevance.
Closing Thoughts
As radiopharmaceuticals move from concept to clinic, success will depend on solving both development and biology challenges. The lessons learned from ADCs are accelerating progress, but identifying the right patients and optimizing drug design remain key hurdles. By combining advanced preclinical models with integrated real-world and molecular data, Champions Oncology is helping researchers de-risk development and bring this promising new class of therapies closer to patients who need them most.