Targeted Radiotherapeutics from 'Bench-to-Bedside'

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Radiopharmaceutical sciences
• Oncology

Background:

• Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) aims to deliver radiation effectively to cancer lesions while sparing healthy tissues.
• Successful TRT relies on identifying cancer-specific targets, developing high-affinity targeting molecules, and selecting appropriate radionuclides.
• The Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (CRS) possesses unique infrastructure for radionuclide production and certified laboratories for radiopharmaceutical development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of research activities at CRS in the field of TRT.
• To highlight the development of novel radiopharmaceuticals for cancer therapy and diagnosis.
• To showcase the translation of promising radiopharmaceutical candidates into clinical studies.

Main Methods:

• Identification and characterization of cancer cell-specific targets.
• Selection and optimization of targeting molecules (chemical or biological) with high affinity and selectivity.
• Selection of radionuclides with suitable decay properties for therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
• Preclinical evaluation using nuclear imaging equipment.
• Preparation of drug samples in Swissmedic-certified laboratories for human use.

Main Results:

• Exploration of non-standard radionuclides for tumor therapy and diagnosis.
• Investigation and characterization of novel targeting structures.
• Optimization of radiopharmaceutical properties for translational research.
• Successful translation of promising candidates to 'first-in-human' studies through clinical collaborations.

Conclusions:

• CRS is well-positioned to advance TRT due to its integrated infrastructure and expertise.
• The research encompasses the full spectrum from target identification to clinical translation.
• Collaborative efforts are crucial for bringing innovative radiopharmaceuticals to patients.