Translational Imaging Center Set To Change Drug Development

By Ed Miseta, Chief Editor, Clinical Leader

MPI Research would like to change the way drug development is performed. The company’s cyclotron, part of its newly completed Translational Imaging Center (TIC), is set to do just that. Tours of the facility, which included an opportunity to view the cyclotron, were part of the Grand Opening ceremony held on May 2^nd at the MPI Research headquarters, in Mattawan, MI.

The multi-million dollar project (10,000 square feet housed in a two-story building) was the result of a joint venture between MPI Research and partners inviCRO, and 3D Imaging. This new addition makes MPI Research the only full-service CRO in the world with a cyclotron attached to a vivarium facility, which the company believes will create significant opportunities to advance the drug development process. The cyclotron was acquired from Pfizer, which has since given its blessing to the new facility.

From L to R: Scott Haller, director, Translational Imaging Center; Marc Berridge, president and founder, 3D Imaging; Jack Hoppin, co-founder and managing partner, inviCRO; and Bill Parfet, chairman and CEO, MPI Research.

“We believe this will be the next step in drug development,” says Scott Haller, director of the TIC. “By housing this cyclotron in the single largest vivarium site in the world, we will be able to speed up the entire drug development process. This will enable us to be more efficient and effective, and better enable us to bring down the costs associated with drug development. By connecting molecular biology with cellular functions, I feel we are enabling pharmaceutical companies to enter an entirely new era of drug discovery.”

MPI Research, inviCRO, and 3D Imaging are not new to working together. Over the last five years the companies have teamed up on over 100 studies. Jack Hoppin, co-founder and managing partner at inviCRO, was instrumental in bringing the cyclotron to MPI. From the time the companies learned of the availability of the cyclotron, he worked to make the TIC a reality. 3D Imaging got its start 14 years ago in Cleveland before relocating to Arkansas. The TIC now gives the company a second home in Mattawan, MI.

The cyclotron at MPI Research Translational Imaging Center.

“Researchers now have access to a supreme set of tools and services that can help fast-track critical drug development decisions while lowering costs like never before,” notes Bill Parfet, chairman and CEO for MPI Research. “Allowing our Sponsor partners to arrive at a go/no-go decision faster will help to save them millions of dollars. This will greatly lower their costs and significantly change the entire discovery process.”

Hoppin adds that bringing the teams together has created a suite of services that can’t be found anywhere else in the industry. More opportunities are sure to come about as the three companies engage in new ventures and strategic opportunities.

MPI Research, inviCRO, and 3D Imaging broke ground on the new facility in September 2013, and the cyclotron arrived in February 2014. Products and services from the new facility are now available to the entire drug development community, which is expected to help the companies better engage existing Sponsors, as well as attract new business.