News
News Release
Cyclomedical Expands Its Team
of Expert Associates
Contact: James F. Lamb, Ph.D.
+1-865-670-9021
jlamb@cyclomedical.com
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee,
2009 March 31—Cyclomedical Applications Group is proud to announce that it has added to its team of Associates an expert in PET (Positron Emission Tomography) radiopharmaceutical research and production, with 30 years of experience. This further enhances the ability of Cyclomedical to offer to its clients a broad range of services in all aspects of PET accelerator operations.
Dr. Michael Kilbourn (B.S. Biochemistry, Ph.D. Organic Chemistry) has three decades of experience in all facets of PET radiopharmaceutical research and production, from cyclotron target design and evaluation, to development of innovative methods for radiochemical synthesis using short-lived radionuclides such as carbon-11 and fluorine-18, through design and synthesis of novel new PET radiopharmaceuticals, and finally to pre-clinical evaluation and validation (including animal imaging) and eventual first-in-man clinical trials. His contributions to new methods for radiochemical syntheses and new radiopharmaceuticals for oncology, neurology and cardiology are now routinely utilized for PET research worldwide. Dr. Kilbourn has extensive practical experience in the management and operation of a PET radiochemistry program (including quality control and quality assurance procedures) delivering multiple different radiopharmaceuticals daily for both pre-clinical and clinical imaging. He also brings practical experience in the design and construction of a new Cyclotron and Radiochemistry Facility, including selection of the cyclotron, hot cells, and automated radiochemistry equipment for a combined clinical service and research program routinely delivering radiopharmaceuticals labeled with carbon-11, fluorine-18, nitrogen-13 and oxygen-15.
Dr. James Lamb, President of Cyclomedical, stated that “we are pleased to welcome Michael to our team of Associates. The strength of our group continues to grow, as does our ability to help operators of PET cyclotrons in the development of research and commercial PET agent programs.”
Cyclomedical Applications Group is an organization of experienced radiopharmaceutical experts serving the nuclear medicine industry, especially owners and operators of medical accelerators dedicated to the production of positron emitting radioisotopes. It works primarily with facilities producing and distributing F-18 FDG–the most widely used positron-emitting radiopharmaceutical in PET scanning. Consulting services offered by the company range from short-term consultation to longer-term retainer arrangements and assistance with regulatory agencies as well as cyclotron operation and FDG production problems. Contract management services range from full responsibility for a cyclotron/FDG production facility to a monitoring posture in support of an in-place management team. Cyclomedical’s goal is to provide a full range of support expertise including FDG market research and development, facility financing, facility planning and operation, licensing and safety, and FDA regulatory issues. The company currently has operational responsibility for several cyclotron/FDG facilities and is providing consultation services to a number of accelerator operating companies. For more information, see the Cyclomedical web site at www.cyclomedical.com. Cyclomedical and its Associates will be exhibiting at the Society of Nuclear Medicine annual meeting in Toronto, Canada from 13 to 16 June 2009./p>
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging technique that utilizes a radioactive tracer isotope, which emits a positron, to produce an 3-dimensional image of functional processes in the body. The most common imaging agent is flurodeoxyglucose (FDG) labeled with Fluorine-18, a radionuclide with a short half-life of less than two hours. This sugar is a metabolically active molecule that concentrates in the areas of interest in the body, which can then be imaged. The use of PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging for oncology, cardiology and neurology applications is growing explosively. From 1999 to 2005 the number of sites in the U.S. using PET imaging increased by 600% from 240 to 1,725. An estimated 1.1 million PET scans were conducted in the U.S. in 2005, an increase of 60% from the 2003 level. This growth was mirrored by an increase in the number of cyclotron facilities producing F-18 FDG and other PET imaging agents.