This Academic-Industrial Partnership includes the University of Michigan, Olympus Medical Systems Corp, and CPC Scientific Inc. Endoscopy is an optical imaging technique that provides real time wide-field images of the epithelium in hollow organs, and is widely accepted by patients for surveillance of colorectal cancer. Pre-malignant lesions that are flat in appearance cannot be seen with white light illumination, and are found more often in the proximal (right) compared to the distal (left) colon. Clinical studies have shown that endoscopy has not significantly reduced mortality from cancers that arise in this region of colon. Epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed by adenomas, and represents an early target for imaging. Michigan will optimize a peptide that is specific for EGFR and label with Cy5.5, a bright near-infrared (NIR) dye. Olympus will optimize a visible endoscope for sensitivity to NIR fluorescence from Cy5.5. The optical design will be flexible to allow for other NIR dyes to be used in the future. CPC Scientific Inc. will produce the peptides using Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) methods. A team consisting of members from each partner will jointly prepare the regulatory submission to the FDA to use this new imaging agent and instrument in a first-in-humans clinical study. Early evidence of peptide safety, specificity and pharmacokinetics will be established in a mouse model of spontaneous colorectal cancer. A rigorous pharmacology toxicology study will be performed in animals using Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) to evaluate peptide safety. We will establish safety and early evidence of efficacy for this peptide to detect proximal colonic adenomas in n=25 patients. This work will provide the research and medical community with new imaging capabilities for improved methods for early detection of proximal colon cancer: 1) a peptide-based imaging agent that can detect flat dysplasia, 2) a fluorescence endoscope that provides quantitative NIR images, and 3) clinical data to support EGFR over expression as an imaging biomarker for proximal colonic dysplasia. This collaborative work will be performed by TD Wang (Michigan), an expert in the development of peptide-based imaging agents, N Doguchi (Olympus), an expert in advanced endoscopy systems, S Lee (CPC Scientific), an expert in clinical peptide production using GMP methods, and DK Turgeon (Michigan), an expert in conducting FDA regulated clinical studies.
Colon cancer is a leading cause of worldwide cancer-related deaths. Pre-malignant lesions that are flat in appearance are difficult to see with conventional white light endoscopy. EGFR is a promising molecular target that is found at an early stage of disease, and can be detected with a near-infrared endoscope to prevent future development of cancer. A partnership between academia and industry is needed to accelerate delivery of the imaging agent and instrument into the clinic.
