AKIR001 study selected as overall featured article in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Cover of the February 2026 issue (Vol. 67, No. 2) of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, featuring Figure 4 from the AKIR001 study. Source: Mortensen ACL et al. Journal of Nuclear Medicine (2026). © SNMMI.

The preclinical study underpinning the clinical development of Akiram Therapeutics’ lead candidate AKIR001, published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM), has been selected as best basic investigation and overall featured article for the February issue. An image from the article also appears on the cover.

AKIR001 is developed by Akiram Therapeutics, a Swedish biotech company developing targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies for cancer. The candidate targets CD44v6 and is currently under evaluation in a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial.

The article presents the preclinical validation of AKIR001. The data demonstrate selective tumor uptake, favorable dosimetry, and clear antitumor effects in relevant models, strengthening the scientific foundation for the ongoing study in patients with CD44v6-positive tumors.

“We are pleased to see the study recognized both as best basic investigation and as overall featured article in JNM,” says Marika Nestor, CEO of Akiram Therapeutics. “It is a strong recognition of the preclinical work behind AKIR001 and adds further weight as the program advances in clinical development.”

About the Phase 1 clinical trial
The ongoing first-in-human Phase 1 trial is conducted and sponsored by Karolinska University Hospital. The study evaluates safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and biodistribution in patients with tumors that express CD44v6, including anaplastic and iodine-refractory thyroid cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, gynecological squamous cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer.

The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov:
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06639191

Reference
Mortensen ACL et al. Preclinical Validation of [177Lu]Lu-AKIR001, a CD44v6-Targeted Radiotherapeutic Entering First-in-Human Trials. Journal of Nuclear Medicine (2026).
DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.125.270782.

February issue (Vol. 67, No. 2):
https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/67/2/269

Cover image:
https://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/67/2.cover-expansion