DuoNEN

DuoNEN is a radiopharmaceutical candidate developed by the National Centre for Nuclear Research (Narodowe Centrum Badań Jądrowych - NCBJ) in Poland, specifically through its Radioisotope Centre POLATOM. It is designed for the treatment of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs), particularly those of the gastrointestinal tract. The drug utilizes a "tandem" or "dual-isotope" approach, combining two different beta-emitting radionuclides: Lutetium-177 (177Lu) and Yttrium-90 (90Y), both conjugated to the somatostatin analog [DOTA0, Tyr3]octreotate (DOTATATE). This combination aims to optimize the therapeutic effect by leveraging the different tissue penetration ranges of the two isotopes—177Lu provides a shorter range (approx. 2 mm) suitable for smaller lesions, while 90Y offers a longer range (approx. 11 mm) to treat larger tumor masses. The drug targets somatostatin receptors (SSTR), which are overexpressed on the surface of neuroendocrine tumor cells, delivering targeted ionizing radiation to induce DNA damage and cell death.

Other names

177Lu/90Y-DOTATATEtandem therapy DOTATATE