Download Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and Dana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2015
CONTACTS:
Angus McQuilken, MLSC
617-921-7749 (cell)
[email protected]
Teresa Herbert, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
617-549-3128 (cell)
[email protected]
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute Announce Official Opening of Dana-Farber’s
Molecular Cancer Imaging Facility
Boston, MA – The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
(MLSC) today celebrated the official opening of Dana-Farber’s Molecular Cancer Imaging
Facility in Boston’s Innovation District.
The laboratory focuses on making chemical tracers that “light up” cancer cells and molecular
pathways, a technology for research on improving cancer diagnosis and developing precision
drugs matched to individual patients.
“The capital investments made by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center in the research
capacity of hospitals and academic institutions across the Commonwealth have been crucial to
our growing global leadership in the life sciences,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We
congratulate Dana-Farber on the grand opening of its Molecular Cancer Imaging Facility and
look forward to seeing the life-saving treatments and therapies that will come from their state-ofthe-art research.”
The Molecular Cancer Imaging Facility (MCIF) includes a cyclotron for making short-lived
molecular imaging probes that are tracked by PET scanners. The process is key to evaluating
experimental drugs and showing whether they hit vulnerable targets within cancer cells.
“Molecular imaging is a cornerstone of the new era of personalized medicine,” said Dana-Farber
President and CEO Edward J. Benz Jr., MD. “Our new facility will provide a comprehensive
platform for determining drug efficacy within days, instead of weeks or months, shortening the
time it takes for new drugs to reach patients.”
Barrett Rollins, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Dana-Farber, said, “The MCIF cyclotron –
the only one in Massachusetts dedicated entirely to cancer research – will allow our scientists to
create the tools needed to identify the precise molecular and genetic abnormalities that drive
cancer.”
Construction of the facility at Dana-Farber’s Harbor Campus in South Boston’s Innovation
District was made possible through a $10 million grant from the MLSC, a state-funded
investment agency that supports life sciences innovation, research, development and
commercialization. The MLSC is charged with implementing the state’s 10-year, $1 billion Life
Sciences Initiative.
“This facility will save lives by accelerating Dana-Farber’s groundbreaking work in the
development of personalized cancer therapies,” said Angus McQuilken, MLSC Vice President
for Communications & Marketing. “The project is a great example of the goals of our capital
program, as this new facility will serve as a unique resource that will strengthen Massachusetts’
position as the global leader in life sciences innovation.”
The new 50,000 square foot facility is adjacent to the Dana-Farber’s Lurie Family Imaging
Center (LFIC). The construction and initial operation of the facility have created jobs for nearly
60 people.
A GE cyclotron has been installed on the first floor of the facility. A cyclotron whirls beams of
charged particles at extremely high speeds in a spiral-shaped machine the size of a small car.
The particle beams can be used to bombard atoms of different types to produce radioisotopes
that are detected by PET scanners. The new cyclotron will produce isotopes including oxygen15, carbon-11, nitrogen-13 and fluorine-18. Locating the cyclotron adjacent to the Lurie Family
Imaging Center is essential because the probes become unusable in a matter of minutes.
“This new facility will strengthen the Innovation District’s status as a hotbed of innovation in the
life sciences, and will allow Boston to continue to lead the way in finding cures and improved,
personalized cancer therapies,” said Dr. Huy Nguyen, Interim Executive Director and Medical
Director of the Boston Public Health Commission.“The important research that that will come
from Dana Farber will not only benefit the people of Boston, but the global community as well.”
In addition to the space being renovated at the Harbor Campus, the MCIF also occupies 6,000
square feet of cold chemistry and support space in the Longwood Center, which is adjacent to
Dana-Farber’s Longwood campus.
About the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is an investment agency that supports life
sciences innovation, research, development and commercialization. The MLSC is charged with
implementing a 10-year, $1-billion, state-funded investment initiative. These investments create
jobs and support advances that improve health and well-being. The MLSC offers the nation’s
most comprehensive set of incentives and collaborative programs targeted to the life sciences
ecosystem. These programs propel the growth that has made Massachusetts the global leader
in life sciences. The MLSC creates new models for collaboration and partners with
organizations, both public and private, around the world to promote innovation in the life
sciences. For more information, visit www.masslifesciences.com.
About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is worldrenowned for its leadership in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research. Designated as
a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), it is one of the largest
recipients among independent hospitals of NCI and National Institutes of Health grant funding.
For more information, go to www.dana-farber.org.
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