Molecular Imaging

About Molecular Imaging

Molecular Imaging, Inc. is a specialty contract research organization (CRO) headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that provides preclinical in vivo imaging services. Founded in 2003, the company assists pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic researchers in identifying promising drug candidates earlier in the development process. Key figures associated with the company include Tom Ludlam as President and CEO, and co-founders Wilbur R. Leopold III and Patrick J. McConville.

The company's business model is centered on providing outsourced research services on a contract basis. It serves a client base of over 100 organizations, including pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Molecular Imaging enhances discovery and translational research by employing a wide array of small animal models of human diseases combined with advanced imaging technologies. This approach, known as its pharmaco-IMAGING platform, allows for the quantitative measurement of therapeutic responses at anatomical, functional, and molecular levels.

The service portfolio includes multi-modality imaging technologies such as MRI, micro-CT, micro-PET, SPECT, and optical imaging like bioluminescence and fluorescence molecular tomography. These tools are applied in therapeutic areas with a particular expertise in oncology and inflammation. In 2012, the company closed an oversubscribed Series A financing round at $9.9 million with investors including Beringea, Baird Venture Partners, Arcus Ventures, and Invest Detroit. A significant milestone occurred in 2013 when the company expanded its operations by establishing a new preclinical imaging center at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine in La Jolla, California.