PLANO, Texas, Jan. 21, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AREVA Med’s second high-purity lead-212 (212Pb) production facility is now well advanced in the construction and is expected to be operational, as scheduled, in the second quarter of 2016. Construction work began in September 2015 for this facility, known as the DDPU (Domestic Distribution and Purification Unit), which is located in Plano, Texas.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/950b369b-b02b-4cb7-a396-1b0108c1efec
This state-of-the-art facility will combine the unique expertise of AREVA Med and its subsidiary, Macrocyclics, in lead-212 production, as well as in the design and manufacturing of chelating agents for nuclear medicine. This facility will also provide GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) production and other custom services such as site-specific bioconjugation or peptide conjugate synthesis for current and future partners in the U.S.
Thanks to its unique characteristics, lead-212 is used in targeted alpha therapy (TAT), a promising and innovative approach in oncology research to target cancer cells, while limiting the impact on nearby healthy cells.
Frédéric Godet, AREVA Med’s Industrial Development Manager, said: “Now that the civil construction has been completed, we are working on the interior of the building, and I’m confident that the facility will be completed on time.”
Julien Torgue, AREVA Med’s Scientific Director added: “This facility will be instrumental in expanding the range and increasing the quality of products and services we offer to our customers and further developing our pipeline of innovative treatments.”
More information at www.arevamed.com, @AREVAmed
MORE ABOUT AREVA Med
AREVA Med is an AREVA subsidiary formed in 2009 to develop new therapies to fight cancer. AREVA Med has developed a unique process to extract lead-212 (212Pb), a rare metal used in targeted alpha therapy (TAT), a novel approach which targets and destroys cancer cells, while limiting the impact on nearby healthy cells. AREVA Med collaborates with world-renowned scientific partners, and formed a strategic global alliance with Roche in 2012, to create a new advanced alpha radioimmunotherapy platform. For more information: www.arevamed.com. Follow @AREVAmed on Twitter.