Molecular Partners Signs Development Agreement with Eckert & Ziegler for Targeted Alpha Radiotherapeutics
Rhea-AI Summary
Molecular Partners (SIX: MOLN; NASDAQ: MOLN) signed a non-exclusive development agreement with Eckert & Ziegler to advance its Radio-DARPin pipeline using alpha and beta emitters.
The collaboration covers development and manufacturing support for Actinium-225 (225Ac) and Lutetium-177 (177Lu), leveraging Eckert & Ziegler’s Alpha Laboratory in Berlin. The company plans to present pre-clinical multi-isotope data at a March 2026 summit and notes its lead candidate MP0712 recently opened a Phase 1/2a trial in small cell lung cancer.
Positive
- Development support for 225Ac and 177Lu payloads
- Leverage of Eckert & Ziegler Alpha Laboratory in Berlin
- MP0712 opened Phase 1/2a trial for SCLC
Negative
- Agreement is non-exclusive, limiting exclusivity benefits
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
MOLN is modestly higher (0.6%) while peers are mixed: INO (-2.63%), ACTU (-2.87%) lower, NKTX (1.97%), AVTX (3.4%), GNLX (5.69%) higher. No broad, aligned sector move is evident.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 02 | Clinical imaging data | Positive | +7.5% | First-in-human imaging and dosimetry data for DLL3 Radio-DARPin MP0712. |
| Jan 11 | Pipeline and cash update | Positive | +1.6% | Clinical progress across pipeline plus cash of CHF 93.1M funding into 2028. |
| Dec 18 | Conference participation | Neutral | +1.2% | Planned presentation of corporate and clinical updates at J.P. Morgan conference. |
| Dec 11 | Advisory board formed | Positive | +4.7% | Formation of SAB to guide targeted radiotherapeutics and Radio-DARPin strategy. |
| Dec 07 | AML trial update | Positive | -7.0% | Updated Phase 1/2a AML data for MP0533 with responses but complex profile. |
News on Radio-DARPin progress and clinical updates has often coincided with positive price reactions, while more complex AML data drew a negative response.
Over recent months, Molecular Partners has steadily advanced its Radio-DARPin platform. Updates on DLL3‑targeting candidate MP0712, including first-in-human imaging and dosimetry data and a U.S. Phase 1/2a trial opening, saw positive moves of 7.53% and 1.6%. Corporate and strategic steps, such as a new scientific advisory board for radiotherapeutics and investor-focused conference participation, also aligned with gains. In contrast, updated Phase 1/2a data for AML candidate MP0533 on Dec 7, 2025 coincided with a -6.99% move, highlighting more mixed market reception for that program.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement expands Molecular Partners’ Radio-DARPin capabilities through a development and manufacturing agreement with Eckert & Ziegler, adding access to isotopes such as 225Ac and 177Lu alongside existing 212Pb work. It complements recent progress for lead candidate MP0712, now in a Phase 1/2a trial for small cell lung cancer. Investors may track upcoming pre-clinical data at the March 2026 summit and future clinical readouts to assess how this platform-level partnership translates into tangible therapeutic advances.
Key Terms
radio-darpin medical
radiotherapeutics medical
actinium-225 medical
radiopharmaceutical medical
dosimetry medical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Partnership with leading nuclear medicine specialist enables advancing pipeline of wholly-owned Radio-DARPin therapeutics for imaging and therapeutic radio-isotopes, including Actinium-225 (225Ac)
ZURICH-SCHLIEREN, Switzerland and CONCORD, Mass., Feb. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Molecular Partners AG (SIX: MOLN; NASDAQ: MOLN), a clinical-stage biotech company developing a novel class of custom-built protein drugs known as DARPin therapeutics (“Molecular Partners” or the “Company”), today announced it has entered into an agreement with Eckert & Ziegler, leading specialist in isotope-related components for nuclear medicine and radiation therapy, to enable the development and manufacturing of Radio-DARPin therapeutics.
"We are pleased to work with Eckert & Ziegler, a global leader in radiopharmaceutical manufacturing. This agreement will expand the potential of Radio-DARPins as vectors for precise delivery of therapeutic alpha-emitting isotopes to tumors, now including Actinium-225, in addition to Lead-212 through our long-term strategic partnership with Orano Med,” said Alexander Zürcher, COO of Molecular Partners. He added: “The promise of Radio-DARPins is underlined by the progress of our lead candidate MP0712, targeting DLL3, having just opened the Phase 1/2a trial for the treatment of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC)”.
Under the non-exclusive agreement, Eckert & Ziegler will support Molecular Partners with a comprehensive range of services covering development activities for Radio-DARPins with Actinium-225 (225Ac) and Lutetium-177 (177Lu) payloads. The development agreement will leverage Eckert & Ziegler’s state-of-the-art laboratories, including its newly established Alpha Laboratory in Berlin, Germany, dedicated exclusively to work with alpha emitters.
For its growing Radio-DARPin pipeline, Molecular Partners is evaluating various radio-nuclides to tailor Radio-DARPin candidates to patient needs – matching vector and isotope properties with target and disease biology. The Company plans to present pre-clinical data on Radio-DARPins’ suitability with multiple isotopes at the 3rd Global Radiopharmaceuticals Development Summit in March 2026 in Shanghai, China.
Eckert & Ziegler is a globally leading specialist for isotope-related components in nuclear medicine and radiation therapy, offering a broad range of services and products from early development work to contract manufacturing and distribution.
“Supporting highly innovative companies such as Molecular Partners in developing their promising technology platforms is a key objective of our group,” said Dr. Harald Hasselmann, CEO of Eckert & Ziegler. “Bringing together our expertise in isotopes, radiochemistry and development infrastructure with our partners' innovations will enable patients worldwide to benefit from new treatments in the future.”
About Radio-DARPins
Molecular Partners’ Radio-DARPins are designed as ideal vectors for precise delivery of potent alpha-emitting isotopes to tumor lesions and have the potential to unlock a broad range of tumor targets for targeted radiopharmaceuticals. Building on the DARPins’ unique properties, Molecular Partners has developed a proprietary Radio-DARPin platform to address historic limitations of radioligand therapy, such as kidney accumulation and toxicity, and suboptimal tumor uptake. Molecular Partners’ Radio-DARPins addresses these limitations through half-life extension technologies and surface engineering approaches, while preserving the advantages of the small protein format.
About DARPin Therapeutics
DARPin (Designed Ankyrin Repeat Protein) therapeutics are a novel class of protein drugs based on natural binding proteins, which have been clinically-validated across several therapeutic areas and developed through to the registrational stage. The key properties of DARPins – intrinsic potential for high affinity and specificity, as well as small size, flexible architecture, and high stability – offer unmatched advantages to drug design, such as multispecificity, broad target range, and tunable half-life. The Company’s Radio-DARPins enable highly effective and specific delivery of potent radioactive payloads to tumor lesions while sparing healthy tissues. Molecular Partners’ Switch-DARPins allow conditional, tumor-localized immune activation, which enables increased safety and potency for next-generation immune cell engagers. Powered by twenty years of DARPin leadership, Molecular Partners has built an innovative, rapid and cost-effective DARPin drug design engine, including proprietary DARPin libraries and platforms, for candidates produced with optimized properties and tailored to therapeutic needs.
About Molecular Partners AG
Molecular Partners AG (SIX: MOLN, NASDAQ: MOLN) is a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering a novel class of protein drugs known as DARPin therapeutics, for medical challenges other treatment modalities cannot readily address. Molecular Partners leverages the key properties of DARPins to design and develop differentiated therapeutics for cancer patients, including targeted radiopharmaceuticals and next-generation immune cell engagers. The Company has proprietary programs in various stages of pre-clinical and clinical development, as well as programs developed through partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies and academic centers. Molecular Partners, founded in 2004, has offices in both Zurich, Switzerland and Concord, MA, USA. For more information, visit www.molecularpartners.com and find us on LinkedIn and Twitter / X @MolecularPrtnrs
For further details, please contact:
Molecular Partners
Seth Lewis, SVP Investor Relations & Strategy
Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.
seth.lewis@molecularpartners.com
Tel: +1 781 420 2361
Laura Jeanbart, PhD, Head of Portfolio Management & Communications
Zurich-Schlieren, Switzerland
laura.jeanbart@molecularpartners.com
Tel: +41 44 575 19 35
Eckert & Ziegler SE
Jan Schöpflin, Marketing / Karolin Riehle, Investor Relations
jan.schoepflin@ezag.de / karolin.riehle@ezag.de
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 / 94 10 84-138; www.ezag.com
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including without limitation: implied and express statements regarding the clinical development of Molecular Partners’ current or future product candidates; expectations regarding timing for reporting data from ongoing clinical trials or the initiation of future clinical trials; the potential therapeutic and clinical benefits of Molecular Partners’ product candidates and its RDT and Switch-DARPin platforms; the selection and development of future programs; Molecular Partners’ collaboration with Orano Med including the benefits and results that may be achieved through the collaboration; and Molecular Partners’ expected business and financial outlook, including anticipated expenses and cash utilization for 2026 and its expectation of its current cash runway. These statements may be identified by words such as “aim”, "anticipate”, “expect”, “guidance”, “intend”, “outlook”, “plan”, “potential”, “will” and similar expressions, and are based on Molecular Partners’ current beliefs and expectations. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements. Some of the key factors that could cause actual results to differ from Molecular Partners’ expectations include its plans to develop and potentially commercialize its product candidates; Molecular Partners’ reliance on third party partners and collaborators over which it may not always have full control; Molecular Partners’ ongoing and planned clinical trials and preclinical studies for its product candidates, including the timing of such trials and studies; the risk that the results of preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of future results in connection with future clinical trials; the timing of and Molecular Partners’ ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for its product candidates; the extent of clinical trials potentially required for Molecular Partners’ product candidates; the clinical utility and ability to achieve market acceptance of Molecular Partners’ product candidates; the potential that Molecular Partners’ product candidates may exhibit serious adverse, undesirable or unacceptable side effects; the impact of any health pandemic, macroeconomic factors and other global events on Molecular Partners’ preclinical studies, clinical trials or operations, or the operations of third parties on which it relies; Molecular Partners’ plans and development of any new indications for its product candidates; Molecular Partners’ commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; Molecular Partners’ intellectual property position; Molecular Partners’ ability to identify and in-license additional product candidates; unanticipated factors in addition to the foregoing that may cause Molecular Partners’ actual results to differ from its financial and business projections and guidance; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in Molecular Partners’ Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2024 and other filings Molecular Partners makes with the SEC from time to time. These documents are available on the Investors page of Molecular Partners’ website at www.molecularpartners.com. In addition, this press release contains information relating to interim data as of the relevant data cutoff date, results of which may differ from topline results that may be obtained in the future. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to Molecular Partners as of the date of this release, and Molecular Partners assumes no obligation to, and does not intend to, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
FAQ
What did Molecular Partners (MOLN) announce on February 26, 2026 about Radio-DARPin development?
How does the Eckert & Ziegler partnership affect MOLN's access to Actinium-225 (225Ac)?
Will Molecular Partners present Radio-DARPin data at a conference in March 2026 (MOLN)?
What is the status of MOLN's lead candidate MP0712 after the February 26, 2026 announcement?
Does the Eckert & Ziegler agreement give Molecular Partners exclusive rights to radiochemistry services (MOLN)?
Which radioisotopes will MOLN explore under the new agreement announced February 26, 2026?
