HAMILTON, ON and TORONTO, ON, July 6, 2023 \u2013 The Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC) is pleased to announce a collaboration with Dr. Neil Vasdev at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to develop a novel positron emission tomography (PET) tracer specific for the activin receptor-like kinase 2 (ALK2) protein. Under the agreement, Dr. Vasdev\u2019s group will develop an ALK2-specific PET imaging agent to enable earlier diagnosis of and eventual treatment of diseases associated with ALK2 mutations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ALK2 is overexpressed in several rare diseases, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) \u2013 a rare childhood brain cancer with no effective treatments currently. ALK2 has been identified as a promising target for DIPG treatment with novel small molecule inhibitors able to block ALK2 and prevent the growth and spread of DIPG tumours. The collaboration between CAMH and CPDC represents a significant step forward in the fight against DIPG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project is set to begin immediately and is expected to last one year. CPDC and CAMH hope to further the research towards finding a cure for a devastating disease like DIPG, as part of CPDC\u2019s Radiopharmaceutical Initiative program that provides funding for commercial translation of research performed by academic institutions or early-stage enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0CPDC is delighted to be advancing the development of an ALK2 PET imaging agent with Dr. Vasdev and his team at CAMH. Working with the expertise at CAMH will accelerate the diagnostic tools available for this devastating pediatric disease.\u00a0\u00bb Owen Roberts – CEO, CPDC<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab\u00a0We are excited about the unprecedented partnership between the CAMH Brain Health Imaging Centre and CPDC. We are already working together in an open science initiative for PET radiotracer discovery to develop a brain imaging agent for ALK2. We plan to be the first laboratory to carry out cutting-edge brain imaging studies in children suffering from DIPG and hope to improve diagnosis and treatment strategies.\u00a0\u00bb Dr. Neil Vasdev – Director, Azrieli Centre for Neuro-Radiochemistry & the Brain Health Imaging Centre at CAMH<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CPDC is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 2008 to advance probe (chemical agents that will carry medical isotopes to targets in the body) discovery, development and clinical research, and provide a reliable supply of radiopharmaceuticals. In the past 15 years, CPDC has created four Canadian commercial entities that have advanced the availability of radiopharmaceuticals to the Canadian medical community.\u00a0 CPDC\u2019s mission is to be a global leader in the radiopharmaceutical industry dedicated to transforming patient\u2019s lives by advancing high quality drugs for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. CPDC\u2019s self-funding business model will continue to identify and advance critical radiopharmaceuticals to meet the needs of Canadian patients and physicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn more at www.cpdc.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada\u2019s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and a world-leading research centre in this field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan American Health Organization\/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information, please visit camh.ca <\/a>or follow @CAMHnews<\/strong> <\/a>on Twitter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HAMILTON, ON and TORONTO, ON, July 6, 2023 \u2013 The Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC) is pleased to announce a collaboration with Dr. Neil Vasdev at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to develop a novel positron emission tomography (PET) tracer specific for the activin receptor-like kinase 2 (ALK2) protein. Under … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tAbout the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n