Nycomed Amersham/UK MRC strategic joint venture

Nycomed Amersham Imaging and the UK Medical Research Council haveentered into a unique public/ private-sector partnership to form the molecular-level imaging center, Imaging Research Solutions Ltd.

75%-owned by NAI and 25% by the MRC, IRSL has been formed to leverage the opportunities presented by applications of positron emission tomography to the pharmaceutical industry and in clinical diagnosis. The center will also provide imaging solutions to academic researchers, particularly those at the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre and Imperial College, London.

IRSL has evolved from the MRC's Cyclotron Unit at Hammersmith Hospital, London, and forms the first stage of NAI's IMANET network of imaging centers, said NAI chief executive John Padfield. "PET technology is an important addition to Nycomed Amersham's armory of leading imaging tools, and the MRC's center at Hammersmith has established itself as one of the world leaders in PET technology," he said. "Through IRSL, we can leverage our core expertise in diagnostic imaging to establish effective partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and build our pipeline of novel molecular diagnostic products."