António Paulo, a researcher at Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias Nucleares (C2TN), Instituto Superior Técnico, was appointed Portugal’s ambassador for one day at the ‘World Molecular Imaging Congress 2024 (WMIC)’, one of the most prestigious events in the field of Molecular Imaging.
The Congress, held between between 9th and 11th September, brought together hundreds of researchers from all over the world and focused on innovations in medical imaging techniques and the development of radiopharmaceuticals that are transforming precision medicine.
During the event, the C2TN researcher, carrying out his research work at the Campus Tecnológico e Nuclear of Técnico, in Loures, presented the work entitled ‘Sub-Cellular Targeted 161Tb-Complexes for Improved PSMA Theranostics’ in the session ‘Spot It, You Got It: Annihilating Cancer with Novel Theranostic Agents’. In this context, António Paulo highlighted ‘the importance of terbium-161 (161Tb) in the treatment of prostate cancer, proposing an innovative approach that aims to carrythe radioisotope to the mitochondria of tumour cells’. He added that this strategy has the potential to ‘increase therapeutic efficacy by using lower doses of radiation, which contributes to a reduction in undesirable side effects and opens up new perspectives in the treatment of the disease’..
The work presented was recognised for its quality and impact, earning him the title of congress ambassador. For António Paulo, being an ambassador for this event means ‘giving visibility to the work carried out in Portugal in the field of radiopharmaceutical sciences’ and being able to ‘contribute to establishing new collaborations at international level’.
Organised by the ‘World Molecular Imaging Society’, the initiative was attended by a vast network of academic and industrial partners from all over the world, including companies dedicated to the production of equipment for different medical imaging modalities – Magnetic Resonance Imaging or Nuclear Imaging -, and aimed to provide a space for the exchange of ideas and innovation in the various disciplines that make up Molecular Imaging, such as chemistry, biology, medicine and imaging technologies.
Molecular imaging, at the forefront of precision medicine, makes it possible to visualise, characterise and quantify biological processes taking place in the human body, particularly in the case of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurological dysfunctions. In particular, the congress made it possible to assess the current ‘Radiopharmaceutical Renaissance’ [1] and the ‘growing involvement of large pharmaceutical companies and start-ups in the development of radiopharmaceuticals’, as researcher António Paulo emphasised.
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