Voyageur Pharmaceuticals has signed a memorandum of understanding with Rain Cage Carbon to develop fullerene-based contrast agents. Rain Cage Carbon, a private carbon capture company located in Calgary, has a proven technology that removes CO2, along with other pollutants from hydrocarbon exhaust systems. Rain Cage converts the CO2 into oxygen and carbon and creates fullerene allotropes and nanotubes that can be applied to a wide variety of products to enhance strength, durability and with contrast materials, ease of delivery. Contrast materials, which may be taken orally or rectally, are used to improve pictures of the inside of the body helping to distinguish or "contrast" selected areas of the body from surrounding tissue allowing the radiologist to distinguish normal from abnormal conditions.

Everyone knows that carbon in its hardest form creates a diamond, and in its softest form creates graphite such as in a pencil. However, few know that it can also create a fullerene, which is an allotrope of carbon with atoms connected to form a closed, or partly closed mesh, that can potentially act as a versatile delivery system for a wide range of biomedical applications. Fullerenes are biocompatible with the nanostructures capable of being loaded with materials of medical interest for diagnostic and therapeutic medicine.

The major hindrances to advancing new fullerene-based drugs are cost, quality, and quantities of supply. Voyageur and Rain Cage will work jointly to develop new commercial fullerene molecules for contrast media applications in medical imaging. Nuclear imaging will also be explored as the two companies create the research and development pathway for these new and novel drugs.

Voyageur will deploy a Rain Cage carbon capture unit at its new pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, scheduled for construction in 2023, which will produce carbon for Voyageurs R & D program and potential new drug production. Voyageur has a vision to become 100% carbon neutral and utilising Rain Cage carbon capture technologies will play a significant role in achieving the milestone of creating contrast materials that deliver a positive benefit for the environment and contribute to the fight against climate change. Voyageur is currently focused on the development of barium, iodine, and carbon Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and high-performance cost-effective imaging contrast agents for the medical radiology marketplace.

The company owns a 100% interest in three barium sulphate (barite) projects including the Frances Creek property, suitable in grade for the pharmaceutical barite marketplace, with additional interest in a high-grade iodine, lithium & bromine brine project located in Utah, making the company unique, as it sources its main ingredients from its own mineral deposits.