Villigen - Researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) are focusing on the further development of cancer therapies based on radiopharmaceuticals. To this end, the construction of a new facility is intended to ensure a sufficient supply of the radionuclides required for diagnostics and therapy. Construction work on the new facility is expected to commence in 2029.
(CONNECT) Researchers from the Center for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) are working on the further development of modern anti-cancer therapies. As a cornerstone of this research, construction on a new facility for the production of radionuclides required for the diagnosis and treatment of carcinomas is scheduled to begin in 2029, as PSI writes in a statement. The facility, which will be known as TATTOOS (Targeted Alpha Tumor Therapy and Other Oncological Solutions), is to be built as part of a comprehensive upgrade project that is being realized at PSI.
“TATTOOS will open up entirely new possibilities”, as Cristina Müller, who heads up the research group, explains in the statement, adding that: “In the future, we will investigate many more radionuclides for the treatment of various types of cancer, enabling more effective therapies while simultaneously protecting healthy organs”.
In parallel with the development of new radionuclides, researchers are working on gentler cancer therapies such as proton therapy or therapies with radiopharmaceuticals that can specifically target tumor cells. To improve breast cancer diagnoses, methods such as grating interferometry are being tested in addition to the use of radionuclides. In this technique, X-rays pass through several optical gratings to record the diffraction of the measurement beams. The aim is to detect even the smallest tumor cells using sharper imaging. According to the statement, this method could also be used for other carcinomas such as lung cancer. ce/ww
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