Noblesville Company Sets Bar With ‘Magnet For Business’
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe key piece of a $65 million project is pushing a small central Indiana life sciences company into a one-of-a-kind global market. Noblesville-based Zevacor Molecular has received a 140-ton cyclotron to produce microscopic radioactive isotopes used in critical illness diagnostics. Chief Operating Officer John Zehner says Zevacor is the only company not associated with the federal government using this type of "very unique asset."
Zevacor will produce Strontium 82, which is used for cardiovascular tests commonly known as PET screenings, as well as a host of other radionuclides for the research and clinical sectors. Zehner says "we are working to stabilize the domestic supply of medical isotopes, including Strontium 82, needed to diagnose and treat critical illnesses." He adds "we are taking the lead in securing the future of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging through the growth and development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. Our goal is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease and other critical illnesses."
Zehner tells Inside INdiana Business the isotopes manufactured by Zevacor are only available to some 200 of the around 10,000 imaging centers in the U.S.
The cyclotron was built by Belgium-based Ion Beam Applications S.A.
Chief Operating Officer John Zehner says the equipment will produce a broad range of radiopharmaceuticals that are hard to come by in the U.S.