PHARMALOGIC + CU RESEARCH IMAGING CENTER

This project, located in Bioscience 3 on the Fitzsimons Innovation Campus, supports collaborative medical research and treatment conducted by the University of Colorado School of Medicine Research Imaging Center in association with PharmaLogic, a private company focused on nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceutical production.

This design scope for the PharmaLogic suite focused on the design and installation of a cyclotron, a type of particle accelerator that produces radioactive tracers with brief half-lives that the adjacent imaging suite uses in PET/MR scanning. An under-slab connection from the cyclotron in PharmaLogic’s suite to the imaging suite makes this collaboration possible. The design involved complex coordination with General Electric, the cyclotron manufacturer, and Mortenson, the project contractor. Technical design requirements included two-feet concrete walls lining the cyclotron chamber, lead bricks to protect heavy filtration of mechanical systems, and a balletic installation process safeguarding the structure and integrity of the building from the 60,000-lb load of the cyclotron. The imaging suite houses a PET/CT scanner and a 3-Tesla MRI scanner, with space available for a 7-Tesla MRI scanner. The planning and design of the space involved careful evaluation of the four MR safety zones and how they relate to adjacent tenant spaces in the building.