InteliSpark client, Ferric Contrast, Inc., wins a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for phase II of their project to develop safer compounds used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that will be particularly beneficial for patients who have frequent scans or suffer from chronic kidney disease.
Recent studies indicate that patients with kidney disease that have accumulated gadolinium, a chemical substance commonly used in contrast agents for a MRI, developed nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, a disease of fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Also, further research shows that patients with normal kidney function are also at risk for accumulating gadolinium in the brain during MRI scans.
To address this health risk, Ferric Contrast began developing new iron-based compounds as safer contrast agents for MRI through their phase I NSF funding. In successfully advancing to phase II funding, Ferric Contrast will further develop their new compounds and prepare for toxicity studies in mice, imaging studies in rats, as well as histology and metabolic panels.
Dr. Patrick Burns, Lead Chemist at Ferric Contrast, and Dr. Janet Morrow, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Ferric Contrast, will work in partnership with the University of Buffalo in this project that has the potential to develop safer medical imaging.