$13 Million Facility to Advance Medical Imaging Complete

The Ohio State University, Cardinal Health and State of Ohio Third Frontier Commission have announced the completion of a 5-year-long project to create a new $13 million molecular imaging pharmaceuticals center that aims to shape the future of the medical diagnostic industry.

The state-of-the-art, 27,000-sq ft facility — called the Translational Research Center for Molecular Imaging Pharmaceuticals at the Wright Center of Innovation in Biomedical Imaging – will combine Ohio State's Wright Center of Innovation in Biomedical Imaging's research capabilities with Cardinal Health's developmental, manufacturing and commercialisation expertise for molecular imaging agents.

The facility will research and produce specialised pharmaceuticals called "imaging agents," which are injected into the body and seek out particular cellular functions that are indicative of specific disease processes. These imaging agents are visible using sophisticated imaging equipment, and help aid in both the diagnosis and treatment of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular and neurological disorders.

"This research center is another example of how effective private-public partnerships can be at creating investment and opportunity right here in Ohio," said Ohio Lt. Governor Mary Taylor. "Strong leadership from Cardinal Health and The Ohio State University in collaboration with the State of Ohio will not only create good-paying jobs, but also provide opportunities to conduct cutting-edge research leading to new breakthroughs in medical imaging, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals."

The facility is located on Ohio State's west campus, in close proximity to its Wexner Medical Center, Veterinary Medical Center, West Campus Technology and Incubator facilities, with the ultimate goal of ensuring the new facility is fully integrated into key infrastructure at Ohio State.

"The competitively awarded Ohio Third Frontier funding has been the key enabler to transform Ohio's technology and innovation environment and bring us all together to synergize our collective teams, resources and potential to shape the future of Ohio's economy, precision healthcare and scientific discoveries," said Michael Knopp, MD, PhD, principal investigator and director of the Wright Center.

The new center supports more than 80 employees, including Ohio State researchers and Cardinal Health radiopharmaceutical manufacturing and nuclear pharmacy operations personnel. In addition, an endowed faculty position as the Ohio Molecular Imaging Pharmaceutical Scholar — along with other researchers — have been added to the faculty and staff of Ohio State's Department of Radiology.

"We are very excited that this collaboration between Cardinal Health and Ohio State will advance medical imaging to more effectively alert patients to seek treatment for life-threatening diseases," said Ohio State President Michael V. Drake. "The university's research expertise paired with the development capacity of Cardinal Health will expedite the discovery and delivery of quality health care while promoting a critical industry in our region."

The new molecular imaging technology center will provide Ohio State researchers with unique manufacturing capabilities and expertise to aid in their research and creation of new molecular imaging agents in Positron Emission Tomography, also known as PET imaging. As new imaging pharmaceuticals move through the drug approval pipeline, Cardinal Health will also support their development, manufacturing and dispensing for clinical drug trials in Ohio and across its national network of radiopharmaceutical facilities.

"This public–private partnership positions central Ohio as a state-of-the-art location for the research, development, clinical investigational trials and full commercialization of new molecular imaging agents," said George Barrett, chairman and CEO of Cardinal Health. "By helping physicians diagnose disease at its earliest stages and evaluate the efficacy of treatment, these new imaging pharmaceuticals can save lives and help reduce the overall cost of health care."