Nuclidium

Nuclidium AG is a clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland (with an additional site in Munich, Germany), founded in 2017 to develop copper-based radiopharmaceutical theranostics. Its CuTrace platform pairs copper-61 (a positron emitter used for diagnostic PET imaging) with copper-67 (a beta emitter used for therapy) on the same chelator and targeting ligand, so that the diagnostic and therapeutic doses use the same radiometal chemistry rather than switching between different metals (for example gallium-68/lutetium-177) as most current theranostic pairs do.

Its lead programme, NU101, targets PSMA for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: the 61Cu-labelled diagnostic component is designed to allow delayed imaging time points, which the company says can improve detection of very small metastases, while the 67Cu-labelled therapeutic component is intended to deliver targeted radiation with an improved safety and efficacy profile at reduced radiation burden relative to existing options. In January 2026, Nuclidium announced issuance of US Patent No. 12,527,885 covering its 61Cu-based radiodiagnostic programme for PSMA-positive prostate cancer, reinforcing its intellectual-property position in copper-61 PSMA imaging.

Nuclidium's copper-based approach places it in competition with other copper theranostic developers using different copper isotope pairs and chelator chemistry, notably Clarity Pharmaceuticals' SAR-bisPSMA programme, which pairs copper-64 (diagnostic) with copper-67 (therapeutic) using a distinct sarcophagine cage chelator; the two companies represent parallel but chemically different bets on copper radiometals as an alternative to the established gallium/lutetium and fluorine/actinium theranostic pairs.