MADISON, WIS., 24 January 2017 – Cellectar Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLRB), an oncology-focused clinical stage biotechnology company, today announces that the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") has granted patent number 9,550,002, which covers method of use for the company's lead compound, CLR 131, as well as CLR 125, for the treatment of cancer. The granting of this patent follows the company's previous announcement of patent allowances for the use of the company's phospholipid drug conjugate (PDC) delivery platform in these tumor types.

"This patent strengthens our radiotherapeutic intellectual property portfolio and further demonstrates Cellectar's commitment to optimizing our PDC technology platform," said Jim Caruso, president and CEO of Cellectar. "While we are currently focused on developing CLR 131 for hematologic malignancies such as multiple myeloma, the claims granted provide additional development optionality for Cellectar or a potential partner."

The granted patent covers the use of CLR 131 for the potential treatment of a broad range of malignant solid tumors, which include adrenal, lung, ovarian or cervical, prostate, liver, breast and colon, as well as melanoma or subcutaneous cancers.


About CLR 131
CLR 131 is an investigational compound under development for a range of hematologic malignancies. It is currently being evaluated in a Phase I clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The company plans to initiate a Phase II clinical study to assess efficacy in a range of B-cell malignancies in the first quarter of 2017. Based upon pre-clinical and interim Phase I study data, treatment with CLR 131 provides a novel approach to treating hematological diseases and may provide patients with therapeutic benefits, including overall response rate (ORR), an improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall quality of life. CLR 131 utilizes the company's patented PDC tumor targeting delivery platform to deliver a cytotoxic radioisotope, iodine-131 directly to tumor cells. The FDA has granted Cellectar an orphan drug designation for CLR 131 in the treatment of multiple myeloma.


About CLR 125
CLR 125 is a broad-spectrum, cancer-targeting, radiotherapeutic, which may be uniquely suited to treat micro-metastatic disease. CLR 125 uses the radioisotope iodine-125 conjugated to the company's proprietary phospholipid drug conjugate (PDC) delivery platform. Similar to CLR 131, the selective uptake and retention of CLR 125 has been observed in malignant tissues during pre-clinical studies. Funded by a recent NCI SBIR award, the company evaluated the feasibility and safety of CLR 125 for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in the (neo) adjuvant setting. This program has successfully completed and demonstrated appropriate biodistribution, tolerability, and dose response.

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