Collaborations

University of New Hampshire Since its formation as a spin-off company of the University of New Hampshire in 2004, Xemed has enjoyed a close collaboration with the Center for Xenon Imaging at UNH. That collaboration continues to provide expertise in polarizer development and diagnostic techniques. UNH recently installed a 9.4T Varian MRI animal scanner. UNH, Xemed, and the NH Industrial Research Center are collaborating and jointly supporting the acquisition and installation of a human scanner on a newly renovated site.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Mirtech, Inc Originally through its UNH connections and later through independent funding from the NIH, Xemed has joined the Boston-based Bioengineering Research Partnership led by Sam Patz Ph.D. to develop infrastructure and applications of hyperpolarized xenon. This very productive collaboration accomplished over 250 imaging sessions with 24 healthy subjects, completing FDA Phase I clinical trials. Now in Phase II, sessions with 3 subjects with mild to moderate lung disease were performed. Several research articles have resulted from this activity including one that was nominated for a Young Investigator Award finalist by the ISMRM. Sam Patz, Ph.D. serves as a scientific advisor of Xemed. Xemed CEO Bill Hersman serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Harvard Center for Pulmonary Functional Imaging.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Xemed is collaborating with Kai Ruppert, Ph.D. and Talissa Altes, M.D. to demonstrate the efficacy of MagniXene™ for sufferers of COPD. This collaboration will utilize Xemed’s capability to deliver its portable polarizer and to collaborate in research at a remote site. Our first collaborative effort will explore compartment-selective Xenon polarization Transfer Contrast (XTC), first in animals, then in healthy humans, and finally in patients with COPD.

Massachusetts General Hospital Xemed is collaborating with Graham Wiggins, Ph.D. at the Massachusetts General Hospital on the development of parallel imaging technology for MagniXene™ MRI. The density of polarized xenon nuclei in lungs resulting from a single breath of MagniXene™ provides a magnetization comparable to that of protons in tissue at 1.0T. Images of similar clarity have not yet been produced. The combination of high quality gas production and state-of-the-art coil design should demonstrate the full capabilities of MagniXene™ as an MRI contrast agent.

Four additional collaborations involving eight separate institutions are also formed or forming.