After striking radiopharmaceutical supply deals with pharma giants Novartis and AstraZeneca within the last six months, Niowave is taking steps to meet growing demand for the alpha-emitting isotope Actinium-225 (Ac-225).
The radioisotope supplier has broken ground on a new $75 million facility at its campus in the Capital Region Airport Authority technology complex in Lansing, Michigan. Niowave expects the facility to become operational in 2028 and to employ 70 staffers specializing in R&D, engineering and quality assurance.
The plant will include multiple superconducting linear accelerators and state-of-the-art processing and quality systems to facilitate the increased production of Ac-225, Niowave said.
“Actinium-225 has the potential to transform cancer treatment, and this new facility significantly strengthens our ability to deliver this critical isotope so that therapies can reach patients who need them,” Niowave CEO Mike Zamaira said in a release.
As radiopharmaceuticals have picked up momentum in oncology, the radioisotopes underpinning them have been designed with improved stability, allowing the therapeutic class to deliver targeted radiation to tumors with minimal side effects.
The Ac-225 foundation for nuclear medicines differs from approved radiotherapies such as Novartis’ Lutathera and Pluvicto, which use a beta-emitting isotope known as lutetium.
In December, Niowave inked a 10-year deal with AZ to produce Ac-225, expanding an existing partnership between the companies. In February, Niowave signed a similar pact with Novartis to supply the isotope, which emits alpha particles that deliver DNA-destructive energy that can be delivered precisely to destroy tumors while limiting damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
Niowave was spun out of Michigan State University’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory in 2005.