Clarity and University of Melbourne receive Australian Research Council Grant funding for novel diagnostic imaging research
Sydney, Australia 5 August 2015 – Clarity Pharmaceuticals, a radiopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of serious disease, has been co-awarded a prominent Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant with the University of Melbourne.
The grant, valued at $365,000 over three years, will fund the development of new agents for diagnostic imaging using positron emission tomography (PET). The ultimate aim is to try and improve clinical results for patients including the molecular imaging of the brain for various disorders, where PET imaging has exquisite image quality.
This federal government grant will fund research into the use of PET isotopes of copper, gallium and fluorine with a view to replacing existing technologies that rely on single-photon emission from technetium and the technique of single photon emission computed tomography.
The ARC Linkage Grant has been co-awarded to Associate Professor Paul Donnell at the Department of Chemistry and Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne. Associate Professor Donnelly has expertise in the application of coordination chemistry to metal-based drugs and the study of metal ions in biological systems. Associate Professor Donnelly is the inventor of several patents for radiopharmaceutical technologies.
This month Clarity also in-licensed from the University of Melbourne two patents from Associate Professor Donnelly’s portfolio, stemming from a previous ARC Linkage Grant between Clarity and the University of Melbourne between 2012-2014. These licenses cover analogues of the sarcophagine chelators and complement a strong patent family held by Clarity. These patents are being used for applications in the imaging of cancer with a clinical trial currently underway. The collaborative approach between the University of Melbourne and Clarity demonstrates the success of the ARC Linkage model.
Clarity Chief Executive Officer Dr Matthew Harris said “Grants like ARC Linkage are vital for supporting innovation in Australia and enhance the industry competitiveness on the global arena.”
“This grant is a result of continuous collaboration between Clarity and the University of Melbourne and we are proud that our translational approach to science brings strong positive outcomes. Our team is looking forward to progressing the opportunity to support development and commercialisation of new treatments to ensure better patient outcomes”.
About Clarity
Clarity Pharmaceuticals is a personalised medicine company focused on the treatment of serious disease. The Company is a leader in innovative radiopharmaceutical technology, developing targeted therapies and assisting in the drug development pipeline of novel therapies for companies globally.
www.claritypharmaceuticals.com
About the University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne enjoys an outstanding reputation, with world rankings consistently placing it as a leader in higher education in Australia, the Asia-Pacific and around the globe. Its national and international performance confirms its position, across a broad range of disciplines, as Australia’s leading comprehensive research-intensive university.
