Cyclopharm (ASX:CYC) has taken a significant step toward expanding the clinical and commercial scope of its Technegas platform, announcing a new clinical research collaboration to address one of the largest unmet needs in global respiratory medicine: advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The ASX-listed radiopharmaceutical company has partnered with Macquarie University and Macquarie University Hospital to launch the Endoscopic Segmental Sealant Ablation (ESSA) Study, a clinical investigation exploring a novel, minimally invasive treatment approach for patients with severe and very severe COPD. The study will be led by Professor Alvin Ing, a recognised authority in interventional respiratory medicine, and will be conducted at Macquarie University Hospital in Sydney.
COPD affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is responsible for an estimated three to four million deaths each year, placing it among the top five causes of death globally. While endoscopic lung volume reduction procedures using valves have demonstrated strong outcomes, anatomical constraints mean that only about 30 per cent of patients with severe disease are eligible. The majority of advanced COPD patients are left with no effective interventional treatment options.
The ESSA Study seeks to change that equation. Rather than targeting entire lung lobes, the ESSA procedure treats damaged areas at a smaller, segment-by-segment level using a polymer foam delivered bronchoscopically. By selectively reducing volume in the most diseased lung segments, the approach aims to improve breathing efficiency, reduce lung over-inflation, and enhance exercise tolerance and quality of life. Importantly, this strategy could expand treatment eligibility well beyond the current valve-based population.
Technegas is Cyclopharm’s proprietary functional lung imaging agent, combined with advanced, AI–driven analysis. Technegas’ gas-like properties allow clinicians to visualise how air moves through different regions of the lung, providing functional insights that go beyond conventional anatomical imaging. In the ESSA Study, this functional data will be used to identify poorly performing lung segments, guide treatment delivery, and measure functional improvement following the procedure.
To enhance this capability, the study will integrate AI-based lung analysis technology from Thirona, a global leader in advanced pulmonary imaging analytics. Thirona’s platform will be applied to ventilation–perfusion SPECT-CT scans generated using Technegas, enabling detailed, segment-level assessment of lung function and treatment response. Together, Technegas, hybrid nuclear imaging, and AI-driven analytics represent a next-generation, personalised approach to respiratory care.
The single-centre, parallel group-controlled study will enrol 34 patients with severe or very severe COPD. Ethics approval has been obtained, with the first patients expected to commence treatment in the coming weeks, and recruitment is anticipated to run for approximately 12 months.