Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc., (MTTI) announced that it has
obtained an exclusive license from the Medical College of Wisconsin
(MCW) for rights to a US patent covering the synthesis and
characterization of 99mTc-HYNIC-Duramycin for the
non-invasive imaging of dead and dying cells.
99mTc-Duramycin imaging will initially be developed for the
diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) in chest pain patients with
no obvious signs of heart attack. Each year in the United States and
Europe approximately 15 million patients enter hospital emergency
departments complaining of chest pain suggestive of heart attack.
Determining the cause of chest pain remains difficult and errors are
frequently made. The Company estimates that 10 to 20% of these patients
will be determined not to have a clear indication of the cause of their
chest pain and will need further evaluation. These cases may be
candidates for 99mTc-Duramycin imaging for the diagnosis of
ACS.
“We are excited about MTTI’s aggressive plan for bringing our
radiopharmaceutical to clinicians,” said Joseph Hill, Ph.D., Vice
President of Technology Development at MCW.
Chris Pak, President and CEO of MTTI commented, “The more reliable
diagnosis of chest pain afforded by 99mTc-Duramycin will
result in substantial savings to the healthcare system through decreased
hospitalizations of patients for which ACS cannot be ruled-out with
current diagnostic modalities”.
The novel targeting agent was first disclosed to MCW’s Office of
Technology Department in the summer of 2007 by Ming Zhao, Ph.D., who was
then a faculty member in MCW’s Department of Biophysics, and now serves
as an adjunct MCW faculty member.
Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology
company primarily focused on the identification, evaluation, acquisition
and development of novel technologies for diagnosis and treatment of
human diseases. Please visit our website: www.mtarget.com
for more information.
The Medical College of Wisconsin is the state’s only private medical
school and health sciences graduate school. Founded in 1893, it is
dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care,
research and service. Please visit our website: www.mcw.edu
for more information.

Source(s) : Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc. and Medical College of Wisconsin