University of Manchester signs long‑term WMIC deal with Alliance Medical to accelerate radiotracer development
Alliance Medical will lease space at the University of Manchester’s Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre and invest £10 million in radiochemistry facilities for research and tracer production.
The University of Manchester has announced a partnership with Alliance Medical, a European imaging services and radiotracer manufacturer, to advance research and tracer development.
Alliance Medical has signed a long-term lease at the Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre (WMIC), a university research site located at The Christie Hospital in Withington, Manchester. WMIC includes a cyclotron and radiochemistry laboratories.
University highlights new research opportunities
The partnership combines academic research at Manchester with Alliance Medical’s industry expertise. Alliance Medical works with the National Health Service to provide PET-CT procedures for more than 100,000 cancer patients annually in England, and also operates in pediatrics, urology, and neurology.
Professor Allan Pacey, Deputy Vice President and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at the University of Manchester, says, “We are delighted to have entered into this agreement with Alliance. This will open the doors for new and exciting research opportunities for our staff involved in finding new ways to detect and treat cancers and other medical conditions where radiotracers are important tools.”
Professor Stavros Stivaros, Director of Imaging at the University of Manchester, says, “This is an exciting collaborative long-term working agreement, which will revitalize the University’s opportunities for state-of-the-art radiochemistry-based research. Research that spans from pre-clinical right through to diagnostics and therapies, across all age groups of patients.”
Alliance confirms £10m investment and timeline
Alliance Medical will invest around £10 million to rebuild the radiopharmacy at WMIC. Operations are scheduled to begin in autumn 2025, with tracer production expected within two years. These will be supplied to hospitals to expand diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients.
Howard Marsh, Chief Financial Officer for Alliance Medical Group, says: “We are delighted to be working with the University of Manchester to add an additional facility into our network that benefits patients in Manchester and the surrounding areas.”
Axel Schmidt, Managing Director of Alliance Medical Radiopharmacy, says: “This cooperation is another testament to the fast-growing field of, and interest in, radiopharmaceuticals. It will further expand our involvement in the development and commercialization of own- and third-party innovative tracers for oncology, neurology and cardiology.”
