Australian radiopharmaceuticals spinout, Skopos Bio, has launched with an AUD$12 million (US$8.3 million) seed round, led by a global investor syndicate. 

The company was founded by three clinical and translational scientists from Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Peter Mac), who continue to treat patients and lead research: 

• Professor Michael Hofman – Nuclear Medicine Physician and Director of Peter Mac’s Prostate Theranostics and Imaging Centre of Excellence (ProsTIC). 
• Associate Professor Mohammad “Mo” Haskali – Peter Mac’s inaugural Chief Radiopharmaceutical Scientist and a radiochemist trained at the University of Melbourne. 
• Associate Professor Luc Furic – A cancer biologist and Peter Mac’s Head of Translational Prostate Cancer Research. 

The founders bring more than 70 years of combined experience including the work behind Australia’s landmark theranostics studies.  

Skopos will initially target prostate cancer, with an estimated 1.5 million people diagnosed every year around the world. With technology based on research developed at Peter Mac, the company is designing radioactive molecules engineered to seek out and bind to cancer cells, delivering radiation directly to tumours while largely sparing healthy tissue.  

The approach has the potential to reach a wide range of cancers that are difficult to treat with conventional radiotherapy or existing drugs. Early laboratory results are promising, with the company’s lead programme now moving towards first-in-human clinical trials. 

Professor Michael Hofman, Co-Founder of Skopos Bio, said: “The pipeline we’re building at Skopos explores some of the most compelling targets we have in oncology. Until now, nobody has had a way to hit them with radiation rather than a conventional drug. This programme builds directly on the theranostic approach that has already changed how we treat prostate cancer, and extends it to patients who currently have very few treatment options.”