Radiopharm Theranostics (ASX:RAD) has increased its ownership stake in Radiopharm Ventures, a joint venture with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, from 75% to 87.5%.
Established in 2022, the joint venture focuses on developing innovative radiopharmaceutical therapies for cancer.
The move comes as Radiopharm Ventures advances its pipeline, highlighted by Betabart, a monoclonal antibody targeting the immune checkpoint protein B7H3.
B7H3 is overexpressed in many tumours but rare in healthy tissue, and its high expression is linked to larger tumors and increased lymphatic invasion.
Betabart, radiolabelled with 177Lu, received US FDA investigational new drug clearance in July 2025 and is on track to dose its first patient in a Phase I trial in the first quarter of 2026.
The study is expected to be the world's first systemic radiopharmaceutical clinical trial targeting B7H3.
Two additional preclinical candidates from Radiopharm Ventures have shown early promising results, with final candidate selection expected in 2026.
Riccardo Canevari, CEO of Radiopharm, said, "Increasing our ownership reflects our confidence in Radiopharm Ventures’ progress. We are eager to advance Betabart into first-in-human studies and explore the potential of our preclinical pipeline to benefit patients with multiple solid tumours."