Feb 27 2014
MPI Research Chairman and CEO William U. Parfet, Jack Hoppin, PhD, Co-Founder, and Managing Partner of inviCRO, and Marc Berridge, PhD, President, and Founder of 3D Imaging today announced the arrival of one of the most vital components for the operation of the new Translational Imaging Center: the cyclotron.
The particle accelerator was disassembled at its previous home in Connecticut, carefully packaged, and shipped to Michigan. The cyclotron and additional supportive radiochemistry equipment will be reconstructed by an elite, international group of technicians onsite at the Translational Imaging Center, located at the MPI Research global corporate headquarters in Mattawan, Mich. Although the cyclotron is scheduled to begin operation this spring, the partners have already been conducting imaging studies that are adding significant value to the drug development timelines of its pharmaceutical Sponsors.
"The arrival of the cyclotron marks a critical milestone in the development of the Translational Imaging Center," said William U. Parfet of MPI Research. "The placement of the cyclotron within the Translational Imaging Center will give researchers timely access to a wide range of isotopes for tracing true performance of promising drug candidates. This ability, along with our advanced data interpretation abilities, will help drug developers reach key go/no-go decisions faster and more efficiently."
The radioisotopes produced from the cyclotron will be used to visualize, characterize, and quantify biological, chemical, and physiological processes at the cellular and molecular level in vivo. The cyclotron significantly expands the portfolio of available radioisotopes that can be used in molecular imaging and provides drug developers a way to track drugs, allowing for scientists to discover if the drug hits the target or has the desired effect.
"The teams at MPI Research, inviCRO, and 3D Imaging have come together to set records for conception, construction and installation of a cyclotron facility," added Marc Berridge of 3D Imaging. "3D Imaging is now installing versatile chemistry capability at the Translational Imaging Center site in Mattawan. We are excited to soon be performing the first syntheses, and with our partners, the first full imaging investigations in this new world-class facility."
As announced in summer 2013, MPI Research, inviCRO, and 3D Imaging are collaborating on the development and operation of the Translational Imaging Center to address increasing demand from pharmaceutical and other Iife science companies for comprehensive imaging services in a single location. It will provide drug developers with access to the first commercially available cyclotron facility immediately contiguous with vivarium facilities that house species ranging from mice to nonhuman primates. The cyclotron will open new opportunities for the partners of the Translational Imaging Center as well as for life science investigators and Sponsors to significantly impact the drug development process.
"The arrival of the cyclotron marks the beginning of a new era for our Translational Imaging Center," said Jack Hoppin of inviCRO. "I would like to state a special thanks to the MPI Research and 3D Imaging teams for working so hard to keep this project on schedule. The imaging research trials we have completed together since formalizing our partnership have been extremely successful and our enthusiasm for the road ahead is at an all-time high."
The strategic partnership between MPI Research, inviCRO, and 3D Imaging is essential to quick and accurate interpretation of data sets. MPI Research provides comprehensive CRO-based services, and inviCRO provides a full range of imaging services and software solutions including contract research services. InviCRO is known for its world-renowned expertise in molecular imaging, and has access to elite informatics to decipher and interpret data. 3D Imaging will operate the cyclotron, bringing innovative radiochemistry to drug development research and has a vast knowledge base and experience with custom tracers in a wide range of animal models that enhances the total imaging solution for Sponsors through radiopharmaceuticals.
"By utilizing molecular imaging, applicable radiochemistry and sophisticated informatics, potential candidate failures can be identified earlier in the development timeline," said Scott Haller, Director of the Translational Imaging Center. "Appropriate and scientifically sound study designs allow researchers to reduce, refine, and reuse to minimize development costs."
Products from the cyclotron will become commercially available when the Translational Imaging Center opens in May 2014.