The applications that nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and radionuclide therapy have had in the treatment strategies of many oncological and non-oncological applications have grown considerably since the discipline's inception over 80 years ago. The utilization of these technologies has become a fundamental component in the aim to reduce deaths owing to communicable and non-communicable diseases by one-third by 2030 according to current sustainable development goals. Some of these have become standard of care in the clinical domain particularly with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and prostate cancer which both employ molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy with well-established use of beta emitters (e.g., ([177Lu]Lu-DOTA-TATE) in well-differentiated NETs and [177Lu]Lu-PSMA in castrate resistant prostate cancer) as a theranostic approach (with the continued growth of this work in the alpha therapy domain). Access to these technologies and logistics related to their implementation has hampered their widespread applications.
The challenges that are presented in the application of molecular imaging and theranostics within the preclinical, drug development, clinical and socioeconomic domains are multifactorial and include radiopharmaceutical production and related logistics. There are also the challenges related to the development of potentially clinically applicable radiopharmaceuticals and therapy agents, the translation associated with the clinical application of radiopharmaceuticals that have been validated at the preclinical and potential trial level as well as the dosimetric aspects related to the agents, the financial viability as well and marketing of the said product. This Research Topic will present articles that aim to “bridge the gap” in the application of molecular imaging and theranostics. Reviewing the current novel applications which are very much in progress but also addressing where the gaps exist within the scientific, clinical, and socioeconomic domains is important to make sure that nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, and theragnostic applications become the standard and not the exception in multiple centers and research domains across the world.
In this Research Topic we particularly welcome original and reviews articles on the following research themes (but not limited to):
• Radiopharmaceutical drug development, including cutting-edge tracers
• Radiobiology as pertinent to nuclear medicine and molecular imaging with impact on radionuclide therapy
• Dosimetric applications (including technological advances) pertinent to molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy
• Functional imaging and other tumor characterization imaging tools prior to theranostic applications (e.g. Optical imaging, MRI)
• Reimbursement of dosimetry, molecular imaging, and theranostic applications in clinical care
• Business development and economics related to the growth and sustainability of theranostics
• Policy briefs and reviews related to the application of nuclear technologies within the health domain
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We would like to acknowledge Dr. Stuart More as the Topic Coordinator who has contributed to the preparation of the proposal for this Research Topic.
Types of articles include but are not limited to original research, systematic review, reviews, policy and practice, clinical trials, study protocols, mini-reviews, case reports, community case studies, policy briefs, brief research reports, commentaries, and opinion articles. Please click
here for the complete list of article types that can be submitted.