— NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes has finished building specialized facilities at its Beloit location as it prepares to ramp up manufacturing.
The commercial-stage radiopharmaceutical business recently announced the “critical milestone,” noting the new space will support current clinical trials and “full-scale manufacturing” that’s slated to begin in July.
NorthStar is developing radioisotopes, or radioactive forms of certain elements, that can be used in the detection and treatment of cancer and other diseases. That includes copper-67, which can kill cancer cells as part of precision therapies.
And it’s preparing to be the first commercial-scale producer of non-carrier added actinium-225, another potential cancer treatment material that doesn’t occur in nature, according to the release.
Company President and CEO Frank Scholz says NorthStar is “uniquely equipped” to help companies overcome the challenge of finding a reliable supply of radiopharmaceuticals for both clinical trials and treating patients.
“NorthStar’s vertically integrated manufacturing offers our partners significant manufacturing, supply chain and environmental advantages, including simplified logistics with minimal shipping requirements, efficient utilization of the radioisotope and a reduced carbon footprint,” he said in a statement.
The cleanroom includes multiple shielded enclosures for biological materials and preparing radioactive drug products; a solution preparation area for weighing, adjusting or dissolving components; and a controlled entry space separating the cleanroom environment from the rest of the building, similar to an airlock.
The company says these assets will help facilitate the “various complex stages of drug development,” from clinical trials and regulatory review to commercialization. That includes the “tech transfer” process, which scales up from research-level lab quantities to larger-scale commercial production.
Along with those additions, NorthStar also plans to open a 52,000-square-foot custom contract development and manufacturing organization, or CDMO, facility later this year. The company says that space will further expand its capabilities, with a production launch planned for early 2025.
See the release and more details.
See an earlier story on the company.
— Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson says the country isn’t ready for another pandemic, pointing to widespread suspicion, hatred and confusion surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Speaking last week during a Newsmaker luncheon in Milwaukee hosted by WisPolitics and the Milwaukee Press Club, Thompson noted the origins of the coronavirus are still shrouded in mystery more than four years after the pandemic began.
Thompson, a Republican, is the state’s longest-serving governor and also held the position of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services under former President George W. Bush.
“In order to deal with a catastrophe, or an epidemic like COVID, you’ve got to have a strong majority of the people supporting the science,” he said. “And if the science has been proven incorrectly — and in some cases, it has since then — people become suspicious, very suspicious.”
He argued “there’s as much evidence that the masks didn’t do any help at all,” adding some wouldn’t don them again even if officials recommended doing so — himself included.
“That’s the problem, it’s the suspicion out there and the confusion out there as to whether or not we will be prepared for another epidemic,” he said.
When asked about former President Donald Trump’s comments while in office undermining public health messaging, Thompson said then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, was lying about nursing home COVID figures at the time. He argued “that probably did much more than what Trump did,” and said Trump was doing what he thought was right.
If another pandemic scenario were to arise, Thompson said he would have scientists reporting the latest findings and health guidance rather than elected officials.
“My strong suggestion in the future is to have the scientists … get it out to the public, and it’s unbiased and it’s accurate with scientific evidence backing it up, and then you’re going to get people to start believing you,” he said. “And that’s what we need to do in the future.”
Watch the video and see more coverage from WisPolitics.
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— Hunters during the spring turkey season bagged 50,435 birds, marking a 22% increase over the five-year average.
The state Department of Natural Resources recently announced this is the fourth-highest spring harvest on record. A total of 246,068 turkey licenses were available, and hunters applied for or bought 224,630 of those, according to the agency’s release.
Before the regular season, which ran April 17 to May 28, the state held a two-day youth hunt on April 13 for those under 16 years old. These young hunters killed 3,967 birds, a 37% increase over the five-year average.
“The robust participation and harvest numbers show ample opportunities across the state,” DNR said in the release.
See more.
— Investment firm NVNG has hired Marine Rostein as the company’s new head of platform.
NVNG, which has offices in Madison and Milwaukee, made the announcement Sunday.
Rostein has previously worked at other venture capital firms including Chicago-based Alumni Ventures and Vamos Ventures in California. In her new role, she will facilitate connections between the firm’s investors, fund managers and portfolio companies, as well as handling marketing and communications.
“She will ensure that our investors are getting value-added benefits and opportunities in addition to returns,” NVNG Managing Director Grady Buchanan said in a statement. “Her experience and knowledge will benefit our investors, our partner funds, and the portfolio companies we all serve.”
NVNG is one of the recipient funds selected for the state’s $100 million Wisconsin Investment Fund program, receiving $6 million in funding.
See the release and listen to an earlier podcast with Buchanan.
— Milwaukee-area leaders are mourning the loss of Marquette University President Michael Lovell, who passed away after a three-year battle with sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.
Vicki Martin, president of Milwaukee Area Technical College, says Lovell was a “remarkable leader with energy and vision, who shared the same passion for providing quality education to students” in Milwaukee.
“Mike will be remembered fondly and greatly missed for uplifting our community and serving as a model of collaboration,” Martin said in a statement.
And Eve Hall, president and CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Urban League, applauded Lovell’s advocacy for diversity and mental health issues.
“We are profoundly grateful to have had the privilege of working alongside President Dr. Lovell. His compassion and concern for others will forever remain a source of inspiration for all of us at Greater Milwaukee Urban League,” Hall said.
The university wrote in a post on X that Lovell, 57, fell ill while in Rome with members of the Society of Jesus and the Board of Trustees on a Jesuit formation pilgrimage and was taken to a hospital in Rome.
Lovell was the UW-Milwaukee chancellor when he was tapped in 2014 to become the first lay president in the Jesuit school’s 133-year history. The university yesterday announced Provost Kimo Ah Yun will serve as acting president.
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Milwaukee Area Technical College: Statement on the passing of Michael Lovell
