MDS Nordion, TRIUMF, and the University of British Columbia Announce Partnership to Develop New Diagnostic Imaging Agents
04 Mai 2009 - 2:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
OTTAWA, May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MDS Nordion, a leading
global provider of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals used
in molecular medicine, TRIUMF, Canada's national laboratory for
particle and nuclear physics, and the University of British
Columbia, today announced that they have entered into a three-year
research-and-development partnership to pursue the development of
new diagnostic imaging agents - medical isotope products using
technology based on radiometals and chelates. Radiometals are a
class of medical isotopes that has been the backbone of nuclear
medicine for decades, and are currently used in 80% of nuclear
medicine procedures. Scientists will combine select radiometals
with newly developed chelates - substances that bind to radiometals
and protect them as they are carried through the body - with the
goal to provide new agents for the diagnoses and treatment of
cancer and heart disease. "This strategic partnership with TRIUMF
and UBC is expected to accelerate innovation, which could provide
the opportunity to commercialize new molecular medicine products,"
said MDS Nordion President Steve West. "Our combined capabilities
and technical expertise will create a dynamic setting in which to
develop new tools for physicians to detect disease earlier and more
precisely, and to offer breakthrough treatments for patients."
Under the terms of the agreement, MDS Nordion, TRIUMF and UBC
provide complementary expertise in chelate design and synthesis,
analytical chemistry and radiochemistry. MDS Nordion will provide
required medical isotopes produced at its facility on the TRIUMF
campus. Each partner will provide funding and in-kind contributions
for the project, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council of Canada (NSERC) will provide a grant through its
co-operative research-and-development program. "With a partnership
that has spanned more than 30 years, TRIUMF and MDS Nordion have
been focused on medical isotopes as a raw material," said TRIUMF
Director Nigel Lockyer. "We are now expanding this relationship to
collaboratively develop value-added products - isotopes combined
with specific molecules - to drive new innovations in the field of
molecular imaging technology." MDS Nordion, TRIUMF and UBC
researchers will explore alternative technologies, as well as
experiment with new modalities for diagnostic imaging and
treatments. "UBC is delighted to work with MDS Nordion and TRIUMF
on this research project," said Don Brooks, Associate
Vice-President Research, at UBC "It is partnerships like this one,
enabled by NSERC, that help connect basic research with real-world
value. Each of these partners brings something unique and important
to this initiative." About the University of British Columbia The
University of British Columbia is one of Canada's largest public
research and teaching institutions and ranks consistently among the
top 35 universities in the world. It offers a range of innovative
undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the arts,
sciences, medicine, law, commerce and other faculties. UBC ranks in
the top 10 universities in North America and number one in Canada
for commercializing research, and for its patent activity in the
life sciences. For more information, visit: http://www.ubc.ca/.
About TRIUMF TRIUMF is Canada's national laboratory for particle
and nuclear physics. Located on the south campus of the University
of British Columbia, TRIUMF is owned and operated as a joint
venture, via a contribution through National Research Council
Canada and supported by the Province of British Columbia, by a
consortium of the following Canadian universities: University of
Alberta, University of British Columbia, Carleton University,
University of Manitoba, l'Universite de Montreal, Simon Fraser
University, University of Toronto, and University of Victoria. To
learn more about TRIUMF, go to http://www.triumf.ca/. About MDS
Nordion MDS Nordion, a business unit of MDS Inc., is a global
leader in providing medical isotopes for molecular and diagnostic
imaging, radiotherapeutics and sterilization technologies for
medical products that benefit the lives of millions of people in
more than 50 countries around the world. MDS Nordion products and
services are used on a daily basis by pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies, medical-device manufacturers, hospitals,
clinics and research laboratories. Find out more at
http://www.mdsnordion.com/ About MDS MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ)
is a global life sciences company that provides market-leading
products and services that our customers need for the development
of drugs, and the diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a
leading global provider of pharmaceutical contract research,
medical isotopes for molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and
analytical instruments. MDS has more than 5,000 highly skilled
people in 29 countries. Find out more at http://www.mdsinc.com/ or
by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day. DATASOURCE: MDS Nordion
CONTACT: MEDIA: Shelley Maclean, (613) 592-3400, ext. 2414, ;
INVESTORS: Kim Lee, (416) 213-4721, ; CONTACT TRIUMF: Dr. Timothy
I. Meyer, (604) 222-7674, ; CONTACT UBC: Brian Lin, (604) 818-5685,
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