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news.MPI Research, inviCRO and 3D Imaging have announced the arrival of cyclotron (a type of particle accelerator), which is one of the most vital components in the development and operation of the new Translational Imaging Center.
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In June 2013, the three parties have collaborated on to build the new center to address increasing demand from pharmaceutical and other Iife science companies for comprehensive imaging services in a single location.
The new 10,000ft² center scheduled to be opened in May 2014 will be housed on the grounds of MPI Research in Mattawan, Michigan, US.
It is the first resource for the drug development community to combine molecular imaging, autoradiography and animal modeling with an onsite cyclotron, vivarium and advanced image analytics.
The collaboration will combine inviCRO’s molecular imaging informatics team, 3D Imaging’s radiopharmaceutical group and the comprehensive CRO-based services of MPI Research.
Cyclotron 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 international group of technicians onsite at the new center.
The new center will provide drug developers access to the first commercially available cyclotron facility immediately contiguous with vivarium facilities that house species ranging from mice to nonhuman primates.
Cyclotron, which is scheduled to begin operation in spring 2014, is expected to offer new opportunities for the partners of the new center as well as for life science investigators and sponsors to impact the drug development process.
MPI Research chairman and CEO William Parfet said the arrival of the cyclotron marks a critical milestone in the development of the Translational Imaging Center.
"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," Parfet added.
"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 cyclotron will be used to visualize, characterize and quantify biological, chemical and physiological processes at the cellular and molecular level in vivo.
Cyclotron expands the portfolio of available radioisotopes that can be used in molecular imaging and provides drug developers a way to track drugs, allowing scientists to discover if the drug hits the target or has the desired effect.