-    2/5/2008

The Phase II protocol under the ⁶²Cu-ETS IND (75018) was given approval to begin by the FDA . In this study preliminary information will be obtained on the efficacy for quantification of regional renal perfusion in normal volunteers and in two target renal disease clinical populations.  The gold standard perfusion agent O-15 water will be employed as comparator. The safety of ⁶²Cu-ETS will be further assessed in the two patient populations as well as in the expanded group of normal subjects. For more information on ⁶²Cu-ETS in renal and myocardial applications, click here

The protocol “A study of PET ⁶²Cu-ATSM as an imaging tool for tumor hypoxia in early stage lung cancer” taking place at Duke University has been amended to include head and neck cancer patients. For more on perfusion/hypoxia imaging, click here. 

Jeffrey L. Lacy, President of PTI, was invited to attend the Industrial Outreach Symposium in Tucson, AZ. This event is sponsored by the Department of Radiology at the University of Arizona to promote collaboration between the university and radiology/medical imaging leaders in industry. The imaging program headed by Dr. Harry Barret is widely regarded as a leading academic program in development of novel medical imaging technology and this symposium afforded a unique opportunity to explore collaborative opportunities.

Proportional Technologies, Inc. was well represented at the 2007 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference in Honolulu, HI with three presentations in the areas of radiopharmacy, PET imaging instrumentation, and homeland security. PTI’s presentation titles and links to the abstracts can be found here

An NIH SBIR Phase II contract was awarded to Proportional Technologies, Inc. for the project titled “Improved Production of ⁶²Zn for PET Imaging with ⁶²Cu”. In this project, a new method for producing ⁶²Zn, the parent isotope of ⁶²Cu, from proton bombardment of a ⁶³Cu enriched target will be developed. In order to make ⁶²Cu widely available as a PET agent, significant improvements in the current methods of ⁶²Zn production are required. For a more detailed project summary, click here.

PTI submitted the final FDA Phase I report for the high flow perfusion agent ⁶²Cu-ETS IND (75018) to the FDA. For a summary of results of the Phase I study, click here. 

An NIH SBIR Phase II grant was awarded to Proportional Technologies, Inc. for the project titled “Straw Detector Positron Emission Mammography System.” In this project, a PEM camera will be developed using PTI’s lead-walled straw detector technology. The camera provides promise to improve breast cancer detection with increased sensitivity and resolution at a significantly reduced cost. For a more detailed project summary, click here. 

The RDRC protocol “A study of PET ⁶²Cu-ATSM as an imaging tool for tumor hypoxia in early stage lung cancer” was approved by the Duke University IRB. In this study, patients with lung cancer will be studies with ⁶²Cu-PTSM and ⁶²Cu-ATSM serial imaging in addition to standard of care 18F-FDG. Resulting global and regional tumor hypoxia measures will be compared with endogenous markers (carbonic anhydrase IX) and serum markers (VEGF, osteopontin, and PAI-1). The study will take place at Duke University under the direction of Gordana Vlahovic, M.D. For more on perfusion/hypoxia imaging, click here. 

An Alion Science and Technology subcontract was awarded to Proportional Technologies, Inc. for the project titled “An Advanced Highly Directional Neutron Gamma Detector.” This project will deliver a 1m2 highly sensitive neutron/gamma detector to assist in locating both gamma and neutron sources from a great standoff distance. For a more detailed summary, click here. 

An NIH SBIR Phase I grant was awarded to Proportional Technologies, Inc. for the project titled “Novel Small Animal PET Scanner Using 2 mm Lead-Walled Straw Detectors.” The goal of this project is the validation and construction of a high sensitivity, low cost animal scanner for PET. Animal models of human disease are used extensively to study the cause, effects, and response to treatment of disease. PET has immense utility in these studies, and production of a lower cost detector that allows more laboratories to use this technique is expected to accelerate the pace of research and discoveries related to human disease. For a more detailed project summary, click here.