Melbourne – November 05, 2026 -- Telix Pharmaceuticals has joined Thera4Care, a 27-partner European consortium, and its FAP-targeting dimer DOTAGA.Glu.(FAPi)2 will enter a Phase 1 trial labelled with terbium-161 (161Tb) in metastatic solid tumors.
Consortium picks Telix's FAP dimer for a Phase 1 trial with terbium-161
The trial will assess the safety profile and preliminary activity of 161Tb-DOTAGA.Glu.(FAPi)2 in patients with FAP-expressing metastatic solid tumors. The initial focus is ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and sarcomas. Telix says this aligns closely with its own development plans for TLX400-Tx, the lutetium-177 (177Lu) version of the same compound. The dimer has already been validated in several clinical studies.
Telix highlights the isotope's emission profile. Unlike 177Lu, 161Tb emits Auger electrons over extremely short distances in addition to beta particles. According to the source, this makes it suited to destroying micro-metastatic disease while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.
Telix will support preclinical and clinical work, with scope beyond terbium-161
Under the agreement, Telix will contribute to the consortium's preclinical and clinical activities, starting with clinical evaluation of the 161Tb-labelled compound. It may also support preclinical evaluations in other indications. There the consortium will explore compounds labelled with scandium-44, copper-64 and copper-67.
Telix expects to receive preclinical and clinical data generated across multiple centers. Group Chief Medical Officer David N. Cade said this will help inform future development directions for the target. He added that selection by an independent expert group reflects external scientific interest in the platform.
Ken Herrmann, Professor of Nuclear Medicine at Universitätsklinikum Essen and Thera4Care clinical lead, said the group has experience with 177Lu- and 90Y-FAPi compounds. He called prospective study of 161Tb-FAPi "a unique opportunity" given its emission profile.
Horizon Europe co-funds Thera4Care, led by Gemelli and GE HealthCare
Thera4Care spans partners from 14 European countries and the United States. They include academic centers, healthcare providers, industry stakeholders and patient advocacy groups. The initiative aims to make personalized theranostics an integral part of cancer care across Europe and to broaden patient access.
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli in Italy coordinate the project, with GE HealthCare as industry lead. It is co-funded under Horizon Europe and the Innovative Health Initiative, a public-private partnership between the European Union and European life science industries, under grant agreement #101172788. Industry contributors to the IHI Joint Undertaking include COCIR, EFPIA, MedTech Europe, Curasight, Dosisoft, Minerva Imaging, Perspective Therapeutics and Terthera.