This collaboration increases Battelle's small-scale in vivo imaging capacity within its existing broad suite of industry services. Together with Battelle's large-scale in vivo imaging capabilities and its other R&D services, Battelle can help clients identify issues and opportunities earlier in their R&D process, providing insight into drug and biologic absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME), efficacy and safety. Earlier insight can guide decisions and approaches to future preclinical and clinical activities that can reduce cost and improve outcomes.

"We are excited to work closely with Molecular Imaging to offer our clients a more productive research and development program that helps get their products to market faster," said Barbara Kunz, president of Battelle's Health and Life Sciences Global Business. "Molecular Imaging enjoys an excellent reputation for helping companies enhance their drug-development processes for new drug candidates across therapeutic areas."

As a service offering, molecular imaging has been a traditional approach in human medicine for more than a decade and has begun to find applications in human clinical trials. The collaboration between Molecular Imaging and Battelle will expand our predictivity of nonclinical studies using small-scale in vivo studies, and will facilitate the translation of effects across multiple models from nonclinical to clinical studies.