When Telix Pharmaceuticals, a pioneer in precision radiation therapy, wanted to expand from Australia to the U.S., it chose Fishers, Indiana, for its headquarters. Fishers, in suburban Indianapolis, seems a far cry from Melbourne, but it’s proving to be an outstanding location to develop innovative molecularly-targeted radiation therapies for the American market.
 
“The creation of a cluster of radiopharmaceutical businesses in central Indiana meant there was a high concentration of companies like Telix in the area,” Bernard Lambert, Ph.D., president-Americas, for Telix Pharmaceuticals, said. Consequently, that indicated the area had the infrastructure and resources needed to support the specialized needs of radiopharmaceutical products with short half-lives.
 
Specifically, Lambert said, “FedEx has a hub here in Indianapolis and another in Memphis, so anything can be shipped to us overnight and arrive the next day by 10 AM.” The goal is to get products whose lifespans are measured in hours to cancer treatment centers and their patients quickly. “Our focus is on distribution and ensuring patient access throughout the U.S,” he emphasized, so “that proximity is really helpful.”
 
Telix Pharmaceuticals’ American division is US-centric so American patients can access the time-sensitive theranostic products it develops. In the past, when radiation was used to treat cancer, the entire body was exposed and the side effects were severe. Telix’s molecularly-targeted radiation (MTR) molecules, however, take a precision medicine approach. With them, radiation can be sent directly to tumors, bypassing healthy tissue. As a result, the side effects are greatly reduced and the treatments can be administered on an out-patient basis.
 
MTR technology consists of a radioactive isotope that is attached to a small molecule or antibody that targets specific antigen on the surface of tumor cells. This technology can be used therapeutically to kill tumor cells. Telix is focusing on programs for prostate, kidney, brain, and bone-marrow cancers.
 
Alternatively, less energy-intensive radioisotopes can be attached to the molecules to image the tumors. That data can then be used to determine the effectiveness of treatments and guide physicians as they make adjustments. 
 
Central Indiana already has a sizeable biopharma ecosystem. “The presence of big pharmas, including Lilly, Covance, and Roche, means we have access to highly skilled, well-educated employees and the contractors we need,” Lambert said. Underscoring that point, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that 66 percent of the Fishers population aged 25 and older holds at least a Bachelor’s degree. “Also, Fishers is close to Indiana University and Purdue University, which has one of the best schools for nuclear pharmacy in the U.S.”
 
It’s a relatively easy area to attract recruits, and is growing rapidly. In fact, Fishers has grown 29% in the past decade, to nearly 99,000 people, according to the 2020 census. Despite the growth, “It’s still a very affordable place to live, with a great quality of life and no big traffic jams,” Lambert said.
 
Both the growth and high quality of life are due in large part to the City’s concerted effort to attract investment in the form of biopharma, IT, and medical device companies, Lambert said. “There are a lot of events to support those companies and their continued growth, as well as a lot of support from the City and the State.”
 
For example, he said, “The City proactively contacted us (before we located here), asking what we were doing and how it could help. Now the City shares Telix’s news on social media. We – and the City – also have a good relationship with the Department of Commerce for the State of Indiana,” relative to tax incentives.
 
All of those points are contributing to Telix’s continued growth in the U.S. Currently, 17 of Telix’s 48 North American employees are based in Fishers. The company plans to hire several more through the Q1 2022.
 
“We’re building our own finance team and just recruited a CFO. Additionally, we plan to hire chemists, quality assurance specialists and manufacturing personnel,” Lambert said. “We plan to be a commercial, revenue-generating company soon, with our first FDA-approved prostate imaging agent.”

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Gail Dutton has covered the business of life science for more than three decades, writing about the evolution of biotechnology, management trends, human resources development and related topics. Her writing has appeared in more than 45 print and online publications, including Genetic Engineering News, BioSpace and Life Science Leader. She has presented to the National Defense University and the Genopole Paris conference and is particularly interested in new technologies driving innovation throughout the enterprise.