Focus-X Therapeutics

Focus-X Therapeutics, established in 2020, is a biotechnology firm specializing in the development of targeted radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment. The company was co-founded by Dr. Fa Liu, who serves as CEO, and Qi Hui, who is the COO. Dr. Liu's strategic direction for the company was influenced by his previous experiences at multinational pharmaceutical corporations like Lilly and Novartis, as well as the startup Calibrium. The company's name reflects its dual focus: peptide-oriented radiopharmaceutical therapy and a strategic concentration on key research issues. Viva Biotech played a crucial role in the company's early stages, leading an angel investment round in the third quarter of 2020 and providing comprehensive incubation services.

A significant milestone in the company's history was its acquisition by Full-Life Technologies, a global radiotherapeutics company. The agreement, announced in late 2022 and expected to close in the first quarter of 2023, was valued at up to $245 million, including an upfront payment and potential milestone-based fees and royalties. This acquisition was intended to merge Focus-X's peptide discovery platforms with Full-Life's radiotechnology, manufacturing, and clinical development capabilities.

The core of Focus-X's business is its proprietary engineering platform for developing peptide radioligands. This technology is designed to precisely deliver alpha or beta-emitting radioactive isotopes to cancer cells, which then damage the cells' DNA. This method of radioligand therapy (RLT) offers precise targeting and potent cell-killing power. The platform enables the optimization of key pharmaceutical characteristics like biodistribution, binding affinity, and in-vivo stability. The company's business model centers on advancing its pipeline of radiopharmaceutical candidates through preclinical and clinical development. The acquisition by Full-Life provides the necessary manufacturing, logistics, and clinical expertise to accelerate this process.

Focus-X's product pipeline includes several compounds at various stages of development. Its two lead candidates are a peptide targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PMSA) for treating metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and another targeting neurotensin receptor type 1 (NTSR1) for pancreatic cancer. At the time of the acquisition, the PMSA-targeted compound was undergoing an investigator-initiated imaging study. In addition to these, the company had six other programs in earlier stages of development.

Keywords: radiopharmaceuticals, oncology, peptide engineering, radioligand therapy, cancer treatment, targeted therapy, theragnostics, preclinical, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer