CRO

MPI teams up with imaging outfits to woo drug developers

MPI Research is joining forces with InviCRO and 3D Imaging to open a state-of-the-art imaging center for drug discovery and development, pooling resources to create a one-stop shop.

The trio plans to break ground on an imaging center in Mattawan, MI, opening the facility in the second quarter of 2014 to biotech clients in search of molecular imaging, radiochemistry and informatics in one location. Once it comes online, the facility will offer drugmakers a cyclotron facility with a vivarium housing a spate of animal models, which the partners say is ideal for early stage testing.

MPI, which will host the new facility at its headquarters, said the collaboration will help drug and device companies speed up development and reduce costs, and InviCRO co-founder Jack Hoppin said the breadth of offerings will make the imaging center one of a kind.

"No other commercial facility in the world can offer translational molecular imaging capabilities from mice to nonhuman primates, and Carbon-11 to Zirconium-89, under one roof," Hoppin said in a statement. "We believe that the scope and quality of image data generated through this alliance will vastly accelerate drug discovery and development programs."

The focus on imaging comes as MPI has set its sights on medical devices, last month launching a dedicated business unit to the space, offering development and evaluation services.

- read the announcement