Michigan State welcomes the arrival of world-leading cyclotron technology
June 8, 2021
Michigan State University and global theranostics, health care technology innovator Bold Advanced Medical Future, or BAMF, Health have, today, announced the delivery of two advanced GE PETtrace 890 cyclotrons at the Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building. Located at the base of the Medical Mile in the downtown Grand Rapids Innovation Park, the arrival classifies the facility as the most modern and advanced dual-cyclotron radiopharmacy in the world.
The 12,000 square foot radiopharmacy, when operating at full capacity, will support the growing diagnostic and therapeutic needs of thousands of cancer patients from West Michigan and around the country. The cyclotrons will complement the world’s most advanced molecular imaging clinic and the world’s most advanced theranostics clinic.
“Together, BAMF Health and MSU will propel the precision medicine industry forward,” said Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., M.D., MHS, MSU’s executive vice president for health sciences. “Precision medicine provides the ability to create a treatment plan tailored uniquely to each person and the very specific manner in which a disease is impacting them. In so doing, each person is provided the greatest likelihood of outcomes that are personally meaningful. This partnership creates the platform where scientist and clinicians will accelerate the pace at which precise care is accessible and affordable for all.”
"The arrival and installation of these cyclotrons is a milestone for Grand Rapids and will allow the combined vision of BAMF Health and Michigan State University to be realized,” said Anthony Chang, Ph.D., CEO and founder, BAMF Health. “The advancements in cyclotron technology have been stunning in the recent past. We are proud to partner with MSU to build off this exciting new technology in establishing Michigan as the leader in theranostic treatment.”
Once installed, the cyclotrons, or particle accelerators, will be used in the manufacturing of radiopharmaceuticals which are then delivered to patients for diagnostic and treatment purposes. The cyclotrons produce the radioactive portion of the tracer which are called isotopes. The isotopes are combined with the carrier portion of the radiopharmaceutical within the radiopharmacy.
Chang said the clinical value of the cyclotrons is essentially limitless when combining the multitude of isotopes that can be produced by the cyclotrons and the numerous tracers that can be labeled by the radiopharmacy team. The novel radiopharmaceuticals BAMF Health is bringing to market will be administered at the BAMF Health clinics in the Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building, adjacent to the radiopharmacy, to take full advantage of their powerful capabilities.
Funding for the cyclotrons was supported by a $19.5 million philanthropic gift awarded to the College of Human Medicine from Doug Meijer and the Meijer Foundation in late 2019. The gift was designated to support the cyclotron-equipped radiopharmacy and novel PET scanners.
“The arrival of the cyclotrons is a symbolic first step in saving lives and improving quality of life for thousands of people with prostate cancer,” Meijer said. “These cyclotrons are made for scale and can create multiple isotopes, the remarkable cancer fighting technology that’s the first step in treatment. I am living proof this technology works.”
Michigan State University and BAMF Health, Inc. entered into a partnership with the focus of advancing the way molecular imaging and theranostics are used in the diagnosis and treatment of disease and medical conditions.
BAMF Health will pursue diagnostics and therapeutic applications for late-stage prostate and neuroendocrine cancer. Future capabilities include applications for treating various cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, endometriosis, chronic pain, PTSD, depression and cardiac diseases.
Anderson Peck, CTO and co-founder, BAMF Health, led the design of the state-of-the-art radiopharmacy to ensure that the opportunities for novel tracer development were limitless. Anderson, along with Matt DeLong, VP radiopharmacy, have assembled a remarkable team of experts who are dedicated to operationalizing the facility and bringing life to the cyclotrons, delivering the best possible care to patients in the community and the surrounding areas.