Improving diagnostics and treatments with molecular imaging
With molecular imaging, we use radioactively labeled substances, so-called tracers, and the PET scan visualizes how these are distributed throughout the body. By using a tracer that detects hormone-sensitive breast cancer, we can, for example, improve diagnostics and provide insight into the prognosis. This is what medical oncologist Willemien Menke-van der Houven van Oordt states in her inaugural lecture.
This technology also allows us to track labeled drugs in the patient and obtain information about optimal uptake in tumors and difficult-to-reach areas such as the brain. Such research is of great value in the early development of new treatments, quickly determining which drug has the best chance of success. In addition, we are developing tracers for immune cells, which can visualize the effects of (new) immunotherapies. The latest development concerns the labeling of our newest immunotherapies, namely cell therapies, where we want to understand how these cells accumulate in tumors.