Ionetix Corporation (“Ionetix” or the “Company”), a manufacturer of proprietary superconducting cyclotrons and producer of medical isotopes for diagnostic imaging and targeted alpha therapy, today announced it has begun routine shipment of astatine-211 (At-211) in North America, marking a new source of At-211 supply to expand access for preclinical and clinical development. Ionetix believes it is the first non-academic commercial supplier of At-211 in the United States.
Ionetix produces At-211 at its facility in Lansing, Michigan, leveraging its proprietary cyclotron technology expertise and using a manufacturing and distribution model designed to support scalable, dependable and efficient supply to customers. Ionetix operates a 30 MeV cyclotron with optimized target technology engineered to support the production of clinical quantities of At-211.
“Our At-211 manufacturing capabilities and distribution model are designed to address the challenge of At-211's short half-life and enable drug developers to advance At-211 based therapies into the clinic and ultimately to patients," said David Eve, Chief Business Development Officer at Ionetix. “This milestone builds on Ionetix's broader experience across our alpha-isotope producing cyclotron platform, including our existing actinium-225 (Ac-225) supply to customers in North America, Europe and Asia.”
At-211 is produced by irradiating a bismuth-209 (Bi-209) target using an alpha-particle cyclotron and has a relatively short half-life of 7.2 hours. Alpha-emitting isotopes like At-211 deliver high-energy radiation over a very short range, helping limit exposure to surrounding healthy tissue while targeting cancer cells. Isotopes with this unique therapeutic profile have drawn growing interest in targeted alpha therapy drug development as a promising treatment approach in oncology.
Ionetix leverages its proprietary cyclotron and accelerator expertise to produce a growing portfolio of critical medical isotopes for diagnostic imaging and targeted alpha therapy. For diagnostics, Ionetix manufactures Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals through its network of FDA-approved sites close to the point of care. These agents are used in imaging for a variety of medical conditions, including cardiology, oncology and neurology. For therapeutics, Ionetix is focused on producing high-purity, alpha-emitting therapeutic isotopes, including actinium-225 and astatine-211. Ionetix is also exploring additional applications for its particle accelerator technology beyond isotope production. Ionetix was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Lansing, Michigan.
