Cyclopharm and Western University (Canada) Partner to Explore New Use for Technegas® in Detecting Mild-moderate Asthma

Cyclopharm Limited (ASX: CYC) is pleased to announce a new research partnership with Western University in London, Canada, to investigate whether its Technegas® technology can help detect and quantify mild asthma in young adults.

The clinical trial, called PAXT¹, will study 40 participants aged 17 to 35 who have been diagnosed with mild asthma. The aim is to determine if Technegas® can identify hidden issues in how air moves through the lungs, even when asthma appears mild and symptoms are believed to be under control.

The study will be led by the world-renowned lung imaging expert, Professor Grace Parraga, at the Robarts Research Institute in London Ontario, Canada. Professor Parraga also serves as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Canadian Lung Association and sits on several public-sector boards related to research and lung health.

Professor Parraga commented: “Many patients with so-called ‘mild’ asthma may have more serious lung issues than we realise. With this study, we hypothesise that Technegas® will uncover and quantify these hidden problems, giving doctors better tools to manage asthma sooner and more effectively.”

“This study builds on years of promising research using MRI to detect ventilation issues in asthma patients. However, because MRI technology is still primarily limited to research settings, the team will compare MRI results with Technegas®, a lung imaging tool already widely used in hospitals and clinics across Canada and worldwide.”

“Technegas® is already used in 66 countries worldwide to scan the lungs for blood clots. This new research will also explore how it can be used to improve care for asthma, particularly in younger patients.”

Professor Parraga concluded by stating: “If successful, the findings could change how doctors treat asthma, by uncovering signs of airways disease earlier and helping to tailor treatment decisions before the disease worsens or causes avoidable damage.”

Cyclopharm’s Managing Director, James McBrayer, said, “We are pleased to support Professor Parraga in this important research, which aligns directly with our strategy to expand the clinical use of Technegas® ‘Beyond PE’². Cyclopharm will contribute CAD $305,256 over the course of the study. If successful, this research could support a shift in clinical practice for detecting and managing asthma, improving patient outcomes and driving increased utilisation of Technegas®. With our established global presence, this represents a compelling growth opportunity.”

The study is expected to run for 12 months.

Authorised for release by: James McBrayer Managing Director and CEO Cyclopharm Limited

¹ “Pulmonary Imaging of Mild Asthma using Technegas Tc-99-Labeled-Carbon-Imaging (Tc99 Imaging) and 129Xe MRI”
² Beyond PE – Beyond Pulmonary Embolism

This ASX announcement was approved and authorised for release by James McBrayer, Managing Director and CEO.

For more information, please contact:

Mr James McBrayer
Managing Director, CEO and Company Secretary
Cyclopharm Limited
T: +61 (02) 9541 0411

Cyclopharm Limited

Cyclopharm is an ASX Listed radiopharmaceutical company servicing the global medical community. The Company’s mission is to provide nuclear medicine and other clinicians with the ability to improve patient care outcomes. Cyclopharm achieves this objective primarily through the provision of its core radiopharmaceutical product, Technegas® used in functional lung ventilation imaging.

Technegas®

Cyclopharm’s Technegas® technology is a structured ultra-fine dispersion of radioactive labelled carbon, produced by using dried Technetium-99m in a carbon crucible, micro-furnaced for a few seconds at around 2,700 °C. The resultant gas-like substance is inhaled by the patient (lung ventilation) via a breathing apparatus, which then allows for multiple views and tomography imaging under a gamma or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) camera for evaluating functional ventilation imaging. Historically used in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, Technegas®, together with advancements in complementary technology to multimodality imaging and analytical software, is being used in other Beyond PE disease states to include COPD, asthma, pulmonary hypertension, Long COVID and certain interventional applications to include lobectomies in lung cancer and lung volume reduction surgery.

In the United States the Technegas approved indication for use for use is:

Technegas®, when used with sodium pertechnetate Tc 99m in the Technegas Plus System, provides technetium Tc 99m-labeled carbon inhalation aerosol (Technegas Aerosol), a radioactive diagnostic agent for use in adults and pediatric patients aged 6 years and older is for the visualization of pulmonary ventilation and the evaluation of pulmonary embolism when paired with perfusion imaging.

Western University

Western University is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1878, it is committed to academic excellence and life-long opportunities for intellectual, social, and cultural growth and is ranked among the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide. The university operates twelve academic faculties and schools, including medicine, business, law, engineering and graduate studies. A modular degree structure enables 400 different undergraduate degrees and 160 graduate programs, serving over 42,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree students, as well as a strong global network of over 380,000 alumni.