NAVB - Navidea in research pact to evaluate Tc99m tilmanocept as a prognostic marker

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals (NYSE:NAVB) is trading ~20% higher on Monday after announcing that the company and the University of Pennsylvania entered into a sponsored research agreement to evaluate the potential of Tc99m tilmanocept imaging as a prognostic marker in glioblastoma. According to the deal, Ali Nabavizadeh, MD, of the Department of Radiology in the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn, is expected to lead the research to assess if Tc99m tilmanocept could be used as a prognostic agent to determine the tumor growth rate and overall survival. The Tumor-Associated Macrophages (TAM) found in glioblastoma is considered a biomarker for monitoring tumor status. It is believed that a particular type of those cells, called M2 TAMs, could be imaged with Tc99m tilmanocept. “TAMs are a very important component of immune microenvironment in GBM, and it is crucial to have reliable imaging biomarkers to quantify and monitor TAMs during the course of treatment,” according to Dr.

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Navidea in research pact to evaluate Tc99m tilmanocept as a prognostic marker