Nuclear imaging and therapy in the era of precision medicine

by Prof. Roger Schibli (Paul Scherrer Institut)

Wednesday 6 Jun 2018, 11:00 → 12:00 Europe/Rome

C. Villi meeting room (INFN-LNL)

Application of tumor-seeking molecules labeled with diagnostic radionuclides is currently one of the most sensitive methodologies for the non-invasive detection of cancer in vivo. At the same time, systemic delivery of molecules radiolabeled with particle emitting radionuclides such as α-, β-- and electron-emitters allow destruction of tumor cells with minimal side-effects for the patients. The key word behind the concept is “Theragnosis” with matched-pairs of diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclides with identical or similar chemical properties.
In the recent years “new” radiometals have found their way into preclinical and clinical development because of their favorable, physical decay properties (physical half-life, mode of radioactive decay, energy rage of emitted particles etc.) compared to the current isotopes. Among the most interesting radionuclides are 43/44/47Sc, 64/67Cu and 149/152/155/161Tb. The production and rapid purification and moreover their stable and efficient incorporation into tumor targeting molecules represent a challenge for inorganic and bioinorganic chemistry. New, metal selective, and functionalized chelating systems have been developed, which form in vivo stable complexes without negatively influencing the biological behavior of the targeting molecules.
This talk will highlight the latest, innovative strategies for the production and chemical separation of new radiometals as well as the latest developments of bifunctional metal chelating systems and their chemical and bio-orthogonal incorporation into targeting molecules.