VCU College of Engineering and Fuzionaire Diagnostics to Pursue Joint Research Applying Novel Radiochemistry Platform to Disease Diagnosis and Drug Discovery

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) College of Engineering and Fuzionaire Diagnostics (Fuzionaire Dx) have executed a research agreement establishing a collaborative program to work toward applications of Fuzionaire Dx's proprietary radiochemistry platform. The focus of this effort will be to develop new radiopharmaceutical lead candidates and will explore Fuzionaire Dx's platform as a unique tool for drug discovery.

The versatile chemistry-driven platform, which can radiolabel molecules at record-breaking speed and ambient temperature, has the potential to generate a wide variety of novel radiopharmaceuticals enabling clinicians to better diagnose and treat diseases including cancers, viruses and neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. The platform could also become a powerful new tool for drug discovery, offering valuable insights on the in vivo behavior of pharmaceutical lead compounds at an early stage.

The multiyear research effort will leverage the research and development resources of Fuzionaire Dx and VCU College of Engineering, where chemistry, nuclear medicine, biology and radiology expertise and infrastructure could complement Fuzionaire Dx's efforts to move its discoveries from bench to bedside.

"This is another example of VCU's strong relationship with industry and demonstrates our commitment to translating important new science," said B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., Floyd D. Gottwald Jr. Chair and chair of the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering at VCU College of Engineering. "Everything we do is with an eye toward promoting research into the clinic."

"Working with Dr. Gupton and VCU gives us access to world class resources and expertise, and Dr. Gupton has an extraordinary track record of productivity and results," said Anton Toutov, Ph.D., chief science officer of Fuzionaire Dx. "We share a common vision for the future of precision diagnostics and drug discovery and we're thrilled to be building it together."

Primary leadership for the collaboration includes Gupton and Toutov, as well as Nick Slavin, CEO of Fuzionaire Dx.

"With his deep industry experience as the former executive director of process development at Boehringer Ingelheim, Dr. Gupton is an ideal
collaborator as we develop informed, practical approaches to clinical applications of our technology," Slavin said.

To learn more about Fuzionaire Dx: http://www.fuzionairedx.com.

About VCU College of Engineering

The VCU College of Engineering, an innovation front-runner in academics and research, brings real-world education to Central Virginia. Our collaborative and multidisciplinary partnerships prepare undergraduate, master's and doctoral students for leadership. Part of a premier research university, the VCU College of Engineering enhances regional and global prosperity through cutting-edge developments in tissue engineering, drug delivery, bioinformatics, cybersecurity, mechanical systems and particle science. We make it real by turning great ideas into breakthrough technologies. Our facilities are hubs of discovery, powered by an expanding student body and faculty committed to excellence. We encourage partnering with industry and the community, bringing new collaborators into our projects. Our key research areas include: sustainability and energy engineering; micro and nano electronic systems; pharmaceutical engineering; mechanobiology and regenerative medicine; big data mining; and device design and development.

Visit egr.vcu.edu.

About Fuzionaire Diagnostics, Inc.

Fuzionaire Diagnostics ("Fuzionaire Dx") is a radiopharmaceutical company. Our radiolabeling platform aims to unlock the power of PET to help detect and treat any disease.

The primary barriers to better imaging are the result of basic limitations in chemistry. Leveraging a breakthrough in alkali metal catalysis, Fuzionaire Dx is working to radically improve the scope, safety, use, and cost of PET imaging.

Our patented HetSiFATM compositions, which are synthesized using our alkali metal catalysis, can incorporate radioisotopes into disease-targeting ligands at record-breaking speed.

We make it possible to rapidly produce a broad range of fluorine-18 radiopharmaceuticals using a single catalyst-driven, disease-agnostic platform. Our technology offers researchers and clinicians a new strategy to detect, localize, diagnose, and monitor more diseases, earlier, and with unprecedented precision. The platform also has the potential to become a unique tool for drugmakers, providing critical in vivo pharmacological data earlier in the drug discovery process.

Fuzionaire Dx was co-founded by a team including CEO Nick Slavin, Chief Science Officer Anton Toutov, PhD, and Nova Spivack, and is advised by leading researchers in nuclear medicine and drug discovery.

For more, visit us at: http://www.fuzionairedx.com

SOURCE Fuzionaire Diagnostics