News
News Release
Cyclomedical Broadens Its Team
of Renowned PET Cyclotron Experts
Contact: James F. Lamb, Ph.D.
+1-865-670-9021
jlamb@cyclomedical.com
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee,
2007 June 2—Cyclomedical Applications Group is proud to announce that it has added to its team of Associates an award-winning pioneer in the development of nuclear medicine and PET imaging agents; and the developer of early PET production cyclotrons and scanners. Cyclomedical continues to offer to its clients a broad range of services from world-renowned experts in all aspects of PET (Positron Emission Tomography) accelerator operations.
Dr. William C. Eckelman is the developer of “instant kits” which became the basis for all subsequent Technetium-99m radiopharmaceutical kits, the workhorses of nuclear medicine SPECT imaging. He also performed the first neuroreceptor image in humans in 1983; obtained and presented in 1984 the first definitive positron emission tomography image of opioid receptor occupancy in primate brain; led the research group that developed the Strontium-82/Rubidium-82 generator, Tc-99m labeled teboroxime, and Prohance, a gadolinium labeled MRI contrast agent, and other receptor binding radiotracers; and developed techniques to use non-traditional PET radionuclides such as Tc-94m, Br-76, Ga-66, Y-86, and I-124. In addition to his research efforts, Dr. Eckelman has been the editor-in-chief of Nuclear Medicine and Biology. He received the Herman L. Blumgart Pioneer Lecture Award, the Paul C. Aebersold Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Science Applied to Nuclear Medicine, the American College of Nuclear Physicians Corporate Achievement Award, the Georg deHevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award, and the Great Golden Seal of Padua University in recognition of contributions to Radiopharmaceutical Development. He has published over 400 research papers, books and book chapters.
Mr. John P. Haynes, BS, MS, MBA, has more than 25 years experience in the PET industry. He was with EG&G ORTEC, Inc. when they developed the first commercial PET scanner. Later he was with CTI, Inc. and was a member of the team that developed the RDS-112, the first automated, self-shielded, negative-ion cyclotron for the production of PET radioisotopes. John served as the product manager for the RDS-112 cyclotron and was an active member of the team that developed the first commercial PET radiopharmaceutical production and distribution facility in the United States. John has been responsible for a network of PET radiopharmaceutical production and distribution facilities located across the United States. He led the group that brought these facilities into compliance with the requirements of the USP and the FDA’s cGMP.
Dr. James Lamb, President of Cyclomedical, stated that “we are extremely proud to add these two distinguished gentlemen to our already impressive group of Associates. Cyclomedical provides operators of PET cyclotrons the technical expertise to maximize production output and operational efficiency, as well as assistance in regulatory licensing. Cyclomedical can also help 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 Washington, D.C. from 02 to 05 June.
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.