Departments

Radio-pharmacy Division

The “Cyclotron and Allied Radiopharmaceutics Division” at INMOL deals extensively with the development of Cyclotron and generator-based radionuclides and radiotracers for imaging and diagnostic applications in nuclear medicine by means of positron emission tomography (PET) and then treatment of cancer, at a later stage. The onset of the Cyclotron history at INMOL dates back to 2010 when the first GE Cyclotron (16.5 MeV) was installed for clinical applications. The Division's goal is the development of radioactivity-labeled substances that can be used for diagnosing and treating cancer. For this purpose, small molecules, peptides and macromolecules, including antibodies and their derivatives, are being investigated. The key tasks of the interdisciplinary groups -- radiochemistry/ radiopharmacy, medical physics and biomedical engineering-range from fundamental research to the routine production of radiopharmaceuticals for hospitals, the development of specific PET radioligands for diagnostic application in neurology, oncology and cardiology.

Besides this, the Division also focuses on the design, development and pre-clinical evaluation of novel targets and theranostic radiopharmaceuticals for imaging (PET & SPECT), disease stratification and targeted radionuclide therapy (TRNT) of disseminated cancer as well as on the clinical translation of most promising candidates.

“TRNT or Theranostics” is an attractive treatment option, where radionuclides are directed to particular cancer-associated targets (receptors, antigens, enzymes or other molecular structures) by specific binders. While external beam radiation is highly effective in treating local tumors, TRNT has emerged as an effective therapeutic strategy for disseminated (metastasized) cancer disease. In Pakistan, this Division has the credit to start TRNT for the very first time in clinical applications for the treatment of metastasized neuroendocrine cancers by using locally-formulated 177Lu-DOTA-TATE/ 90Y-DOTA-TATE or 225Ac-DOTA-TATE and metastasized prostate cancers by using 177Lu-PSMA-617 or 225Ac-PSMA-617. Currently, INMOL is the only Center in Pakistan practicing routinely these therapies and handling the referral of patients from whole country. This new technology was inaugurated by Honorable Chairman PAEC on 08 May 2017.