# Combination Radiopharmaceutical Therapy and External Beam Radiotherapy

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $547,986

## Abstract

Problem: Treatment options for late stage metastatic cancer are limited. External beam radiotherapy (XRT) is
generally effective, but limited against widespread disease or tumors adjacent to radiosensitive tissue.
Radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT), a therapeutic modality with origins in radioiodine therapy of thyroid cancer,
has become an effective alternative to chemo- and biologic therapy. RPT is complementary to XRT. It exploits
pharmaceuticals that bind to tumor cells to deliver targeted radiation. It targets metastases while providing a
radiation boost to tumors. Combining XRT with RPT (e.g., as opposed to chemotherapy) allows a precise
determination of potential toxicity to normal organs since both modalities involve radiation whose effects on
normal tissues can be quantified and predicted by treatment planning.
 Our solution to treating widespread metastases is to commercialize enhanced dosimetric tools that will make
combination XRT and RPT (CXRPT) a routine cancer treatment. We will assess safety and feasibility of CXRPT
in thyroid cancer patients who are not likely to be effectively treated with radioiodine alone and who are good
candidates for CXRPT. Radiopharmaceutical Imaging and Dosimetry, LLC (Rapid) will provide the methodology
and software for CXRPT; Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine will implement CXRPT.
Specific aims:
1. Conduct a phase I clinical trial of CXRPT in differentiated thyroid cancer patients.
Establish safety of CXRPT, provide a rationale for a larger multi-arm trial that will demonstrate greater efficacy
over current treatment.
2. Implement the CXRPT methodology in a cloud-based software package, 3D-RD-X; validate results from the
cloud-based package against the localized package.
3. Obtain data needed for eventual FDA clearance of 3D-RD-X.
Aims 2 and 3 are essential steps towards generating a commercially viable software package that will enable
widespread implementation of CXRPT.
 This proposal will introduce a novel treatment combination applicable to every cancer for which RPT exists
or may be developed. The investigative team is already highly collaborative. Rapid’s founders have previously
implemented advanced dosimetry for thyroid cancer patients and have a long record in this area. This proposal
will enable a fundamentally new treatment paradigm that leverages widely available radiotherapy treatment with
ongoing development of novel RPTs. We expect widespread implementation and commercial interest once we
have demonstrated feasibility and provided the software tool to implement this treatment approach.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10473785
- **Project number:** 5R01CA240779-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert Francois Hobbs
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $547,986
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-03 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10473785

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10473785, Combination Radiopharmaceutical Therapy and External Beam Radiotherapy (5R01CA240779-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10473785. Licensed CC0.

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