Date: May 01, 2013 Author: Thomas M. Little Source: Business Alabama (
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by: Thomas M. Little
Thomas Macher's MagnnPro enables clearer, risk-reduced MRI scans
When a patient undergoes an MRI scan, doctors must be able to read the resulting images clearly to identify any abnormal conditions. To aid in the process, doctors use chemical contrast agents to increase the visibility of target body structures. In the past, these contrast agents were gadolinium-based solutions. But the Gd-based agents began causing their own health problems, and researchers began searching for alternative MRI contrast solutions.
This January, Magnetic Nanomaterial Products, or MagnnPro LLC, formed in Tuscaloosa with the goal of developing a safer substitute for existing contrast agents, with 24-year-old University of Alabama graduate student Thomas Macher as CEO.
"As part of my master's degree, I was able to join Dr. Yuping Bao's research team in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Alabama," says Macher.
In addition to the department's prominence in research and facilities, Macher sought assistance from the Alabama Institute for Manufacturing Excellence. "They offered guidance in the manufacturing process and professional business training to our team in the start-up phase of the company," he says. "This institute has been invaluable to us in providing a level of expertise that would take years to attain without their help."
Macher credits Bao and the chemical engineering research team for facilitating the basis of the new company's research. "Our research in nanotechnology materials led to the products and processes manufactured by MagnnPro LLC." The research and development company now uses cutting-edge nanomanufacturing technology to develop MRI contrast products that don't contain gadolinium.
"The use of Gd-based contrast agents poses health risks to patients with renal and kidney diseases," says Macher, citing research that says as many as 800,000 Americans experience adverse effects each year. In 2007, the Food & Drug Administration issued a product warning linking the use of Gd and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis. In 2009, the World Health Organization placed restrictions on the use of five contrast agents administered in the U.S. The restrictions were established in response to harmful effects observed after the Gd agents were administered to patients with severe kidney problems, patients having undergone a liver transplant and newborn infants.
Older contrast products also run the risk of spreading within the patient's body. "Gd-based contrast agents are difficult to retain at the target location," says Macher.
"Due to the small size of the molecular Gd-complex, the compound can easily escape from the bloodstream and enter the extracellular space." To compensate for this, patients must receive multiple doses to achieve an accurate resolution — added doses in the body increase the risk of health complications.
To avoid the dangers associated with Gd, MagnnPro has developed the first iron oxide nanomaterial-based MRI T1 contrast agent. "Our product is different from other contrast agents currently on the market," says Macher. "It offers a new way of using iron oxide as an MRI contrast agent. This new process will meet the needs of patients with special conditions and improve imaging efficacy and safety."
The iron oxide nanoparticles used in MagnnPro's technology are approved by the FDA, as nanoparticles are already in use among T2 agents for liver and spleen imaging. "The use of iron is safer and more stable," says Macher. "These iron oxide nanoparticle-based contrast agents are generally accepted to be safe and can be reabsorbed through normal iron metabolic pathways."
Macher explains that unlike gadolinium, iron is found naturally in the blood, so there is no toxin introduced into the body. The nanoparticles are then easily removed by the kidney.
Although they currently operate without outside investors, MagnnPro has received a government grant from the National Science Foundation. They anticipate a healthy revenue stream when royalties for the licensed products become available. They also will sell their nanomaterial to large pharmaceutical companies.
Soon, MagnnPro intends to license its contrast agent technology, as well as similar products. "Our R&D products are not limited to the contrast agent market," says Macher, "but also have the potential to enter other fields that utilize the nanotechnology materials we produce." The R&D company hopes to make its innovative products available for medical use within the next five years.
