Theranostics: From Mice to Men and Back, a MOLECUBES Webinar

What can be learned from preclinical experiments? And what cannot be learned? What do preclinical researchers need to know about clinical applications? What do clinicians need to learn from preclinical researchers? We will try to answer this! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to deepen your understanding of theranostics and bridge the gap between preclinical imaging and clinical applications. Register now!

Webinar Overview

The theranostic approach combines targeted therapy and diagnostic imaging. It represents a precision medicine approach relying on a specific targeted diagnostic test that helps to select patients for a specific targeted therapy. Molecular imaging in nuclear medicine combines imaging modalities like PET and SPECT with computed tomography (CT) or magnet resonance tomography to derive detailed information on disease. In the clinic, molecular imaging is mainly used for diagnosis, staging, monitoring response to therapy, and selecting patients. Diagnostic imaging can identify those patients who are positive or negative for a target out of a larger population. Subsequently, the patients who are positive can continue with targeted therapy, and patients who are negative can receive conventional therapy. Using preclinical imaging we can learn about targets, (the choice of) ligand, (potentially) which radioisotope to use best, and about tumor biology, which is important for effective theranostics.

What to expect

In this webinar, we’ll try to answer the following questions regarding theranostics and the journey from mice to men: What can and can‘t we learn from preclinical imaging in theranostics? What can be learned from preclinical experiments? And what cannot be learned? What do preclinical researchers need to know about clinical applications? What do clinicians need to learn from preclinical researchers? We will be talking about what makes a good radioligand, what makes a good theranostic target, and what are the opportunities and challenges in facilitating the go/no go decisions. Is the theranostic agent worth a clinical translation?

Who should attend?

This webinar is relevant to those interested in learning more about preclinical imaging and the bridge that can be formed between preclinical imaging and clinical applications. In addition, this webinar will be of interest to multiple profiles in the biomedical research community, especially those applying medical imaging techniques in their work. Clinicians, researchers, PhD students, postdocs, and laboratory technicians will find this webinar relevant.

Presenter: Prof. Dr. Katharina Lückerath (Professor Preclinical Theranostics UK Essen)

Prof. Dr. Katharina Lückerath: Katharina is a biomedical scientist with a focus on experimental and translational theranostics. A priority of her research is to deliver new insights into tumor biology and its relationship and relevance to functional imaging and biomarker-driven treatments in nuclear medicine. She obtained her PhD at the Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy (Georg-Speyer-Haus, Germany), served as head of the research group Experimental Oncology in Nuclear Medicine at the University of Würzurg (Germany), and of the pre-clinical Nuclear Medicine team at the University of California Los Angeles (USA; with Johannes Czernin), before transferring to University Hospital Essen in March 2021 to build and lead the Preclinical Theranostics team.

Presenter: Prof. Dr. Ken Hermann (Medical Director of the Clinic for Nuclear Medicine UK Essen)

Prof. Dr. Med. Ken Herrmann is an esteemed expert in nuclear medicine with an impressive career spanning over 19 years. He currently acts as Chair of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Universitätsklinikum Essen in Germany and chair of the EANM Oncology & Theranostics Committee. He also serves as a Section Editor of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. His earlier career found him as an Associate Professor in the Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division of the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the University of California Los Angeles in addition to holding his position as Vice Chair of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Universitätsklinikum Würzburg. Ken has a Doctorate Degree from Humboldt Universität Berlin and completed his residency in Nuclear Medicine at Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München in addition to his MBA, which he received from the Universität Zürich, Switzerland in 2011. His significant contributions include the first in human application of CXCR4-directed 177Lu-Pentixather and initiating the theranostic program at UCLA, leading to the FDA approval of 68Ga-PSMA-11.