What makes QuiremSpheres® so unique?
QuiremSpheres® microspheres are based on more than 20 years of research and development at the University Medical Center in Utrecht (UMCU), the Netherlands. 15 years ago, radioembolization was already an existing, but largely unknown, treatment method for liver cancer. The researchers at the UMC Utrecht wanted not only to promote the usage of radioembolization, but also develop a new type of microsphere with unique imaging advantages. And they succeeded. The microspheres that were developed cannot only be imaged with SPECT imaging, but also with MRI. By means of these imaging possibilities, the treating clinician can follow the microspheres after they have been injected in the liver artery and assure that the microspheres actually reach the tumours. In addition, Quirem Medical provides proprietary software to precisely calculated the dose that was delivered to the tumour and to the healthy liver tissue.
Manufacturing QuiremSpheres®
The microspheres are synthesised at the production site of Quirem Medical in the Netherlands. During synthesis, holmium-165 chloride is converted into holmium-165 acetyl acetonate crystals, which are mixed with polylactic acid in a solvent. This solution is combined with an aqueous solution, after which microspheres with a size of approx. 30 microns are being formed. The solvent has to be evaporated, and Bronkhorst mass flow controllers deliver the nitrogen flow to enhance and control the solvent evaporation. After washing, sieving and drying, the batch of holmium-165 loaded microspheres is ready. The total synthesis takes almost two weeks.