Radiopharmaceutical developer Ground Fluor Pharmaceuticals has received a $728,000 phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant.
The grant will be used to expand research and product development of the company's proprietary chemistry for the production of F-18 fluorodopa, a PET imaging agent intended for diagnosing and managing brain tumors (such as astrocytomas and gliomas) and Parkinson's disease.
This latest grant adds to the more than $275,000 of National Science Foundation SBIR funds and state of Nebraska matching funds awarded for this research since 2011, according to the firm. The award will permit the good manufacturing practice (GMP) manufacture and distribution of a diaryliodonium intermediate for the production of F-18 fluorodopa for research and clinical use throughout the world, Ground Fluor said.
