Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Presents Three Studies On Trofex™ Program For Prostate Cancer Diagnosis And Staging

Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPI) announced three presentations at the Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) 55th Annual Meeting on preclinical data supporting its Trofex program for the detection, staging and monitoring of prostate cancer. The presentations described the synthesis, production and preclinical profile of two lead candidate compounds, MIP-1072 and MIP-1095. These compounds provide the foundation for the Company’s recently initiated clinical program and support Molecular Insight’s small molecule approach to the discovery and development of molecular imaging pharmaceuticals. Molecular Insight is conducting an exploratory clinical trial with the two lead candidates with the goal of selecting a compound for further commercial development.

MIP-1072 and MIP-1095 both target prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a protein that is highly expressed by prostate tumor cells. Molecular Insight’s Trofex program is designed to fill an important need in prostate cancer disease management by identifying and staging tumors, particularly in metastatic disease where patients have no obvious symptoms other than increasing levels of the established biomarker, prostate specific antigen (PSA). Detection and staging are important in designing appropriate treatment regimens for patients. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men in the United States, with an estimated 28,000 deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. There will be an estimated 186,000 new cases diagnosed in 2008.

“PMSA is recognized as a promising target for molecular imaging of prostate cancer and these studies demonstrate that both compounds generate high quality images based on their specific binding to PSMA and accumulation in tumor cells,” said John W. Babich, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Molecular Insight. “The research also demonstrates Molecular Insight’s ability to design, synthesize and optimize novel small molecule compounds with distinct pharmacokinetic profiles.”

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1. Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Presents Three Studies On Trofex™ Program For Prostate Cancer Diagnosis And Staging