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Actinium-225 Theranostics for Advanced Prostate Cancer:

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 A Patient's Guide to the State of the Science An IPCSG patient-education feature — April 2026 BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front):   Actinium-225 (Ac-225) PSMA-targeted alpha therapy is producing some of the most striking PSA response numbers ever seen in heavily pretreated mCRPC — about 65% of men achieve a PSA50 response across pooled studies, a figure that exceeds what beta-emitting Lu-177 PSMA delivers in the same setting. It is showing meaningful activity even in men who have already progressed through Pluvicto (Lu-177 PSMA-617). However, Ac-225 PSMA therapy is not a finished product: it remains investigational only — no Ac-225 drug has FDA approval for prostate cancer as of April 2026 — and the dominant problem is severe, often permanent, dry mouth (xerostomia) from off-target damage to the salivary glands, which is reported in roughly 80–85% of treated patients. A wave of randomized phase 2/3 trials (PSMAcTION, CONVERGE-01, AcTION, TATCIST, ACCEL, AlphaBreak...
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CONVERGE-01: A Patient’s Guide to Ac-225 Rosopatamab Tetraxetan (CONV01-α)

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Understanding the realities of the next-generation alpha-emitting radioantibody for PSMA-positive mCRPC Prepared by Stephen L. Pendergast • IPCSG Member • April 2026 Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) CONV01-α (Ac-225 rosopatamab tetraxetan, formerly 225Ac-J591) is an investigational radioantibody that delivers the alpha emitter Actinium-225 to prostate cancer cells via a monoclonal antibody targeting PSMA. It represents a fundamentally different approach from Pluvicto (Lu-177-PSMA-617): instead of a small-molecule ligand carrying a beta emitter, it uses a full-sized antibody carrying an alpha emitter. This matters because (1) alpha particles are far more destructive to cancer DNA than beta particles, and (2) the antibody is too large to penetrate salivary glands, kidneys, and small bowel—the organs that take the worst beating from small-molecule PSMA therapies. Across Phase I trials at Weill Cornell Medicine enrolling over 120 patients, CONV01-α produced PSA declines...
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The Strategic Path Forward: Leveraging Industry Partnerships for Nonprofit Innovation

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  INFORMED PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER How UCSD's relationships with pharma leaders could accelerate open-source AI tools for non-patentable drug development April 10, 2026 Bottom Line Up Front UCSD already has established partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and others. Rather than asking big pharma to support nonprofit drug development directly (which misaligns with their profit incentives), universities could collaborate with industry partners to develop and refine AI drug discovery and trial tools—then release these tools as open-source or nonprofit-accessible resources. Big pharma gets validated, cutting-edge technology; nonprofits get access to sophisticated tools; universities cement leadership in translational science. This isn't charity. It's mutually beneficial innovation infrastructure. UCSD's Existing Pharma Relati...
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Universities as Catalysts

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 INFORMED PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP NEWSLETTER Universities as Catalysts: How AI Could Accelerate Development of Non-Patentable Medicines Why institutions like UC San Diego are positioned to solve the dandelion root problem April 10, 2026 Bottom Line Up Front The dandelion root extract trial stalled not because of bad science or lack of funding—it failed because there's no profit motive to organize and run a costly clinical trial for a non-patentable substance. Universities like UCSD, armed with world-class AI infrastructure and mission-driven research cultures, could break this logjam by creating hybrid nonprofit-academic models that use machine learning to dramatically reduce trial costs and timelines. The precedent exists. The capability exists. What's needed is institutional commitment and dedicated funding to prove the model works. The Dandelion Root Lesson: Why Big Pharma Won't Solve This ...
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