Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Carmen I Bigles
Coqui Pharma,USA
Keynote: Coqui-pharma solving the impending global shortage of molybdenum -99
Time : 09:00-09:30
Biography:
Carmen I Bigles is CEO of Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals, Corp. a company with the goal of establishing a medical radioisotope production facility in the U.S. As co-owner of Caribbean Radiation Oncology Center, she learned that many patients were being misdiagnosed due to a global shortage of 99Mo. She sought to learn more about the Mo-99 industry and ultimately decided to establish a domestic source of the isotope. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Inter-American University in San Juan and subsequently her Master’s degrees in architecture and suburban and town planning from the University of Miami.
Abstract:
Coquí Radio Pharmaceuticals Corp. is a medical isotope company dedicated to the production of Molybdenum-99, which is used in 20 million procedures each year in the U.S. The Puerto Rican company is based in Coral Gables, Fla., with the mission to bring the foremost medical isotope production facility to the Western Hemisphere and to create a commercially scalable, reliable supply of medical diagnostic and therapeutic radioisotopes in the U.S. This presentation will give an overview of the medical isotope 99Mo and its uses in modern medicine and explore the potential effects of an impending global shortage as nuclear reactors around the world begin to go offline. Carmen will give a thorough overview of Coquí Pharma and its mission to solve the impending shortage crisis as well as explain the technology the firm will employ at its medical isotope production facility.
Keynote Forum
Joerg Traub
Surgic Eye GmbH, Germany
Keynote: 3D interventional nuclear medicine imaging and therapy monitoring
Time : 09:30-10:00
Biography:
Joerg Traub has completed his PhD from TU Munich with highest distinction. After graduation, he was a co-founder of Surgic Eye GmbH. He is CEO and President of Surgic Eye, an innovator in the field of mobile nuclear imaging during therapy, for the past 8 years. He has published more than 50 peer-reviewed journals and full paper conference papers. He is co-inventor of more than 10 patents and has been serving as reviewer in several medical imaging and computer assisted surgery journals and conferences. rn
Abstract:
Radio-guided surgery is defined as any surgical procedure which utilizes a radiation detection device in a real-time fashion within the operating room for the identification of a radioisotope administered to a patient prior to the time of attempted detection and with the sole purpose of assisting in the successful performance of that surgical procedure. There is a wide application domain in the surgery room for sentinel lymph node marking, marking of primary tumors and also injection of radio-isotopes for selective internal radiation therapy.
Keynote Forum
Karl R Aigner
Medias Klinikum GmbH & Co KG, Germany
Keynote: High intra-arterial drug exposure for advanced head and neck cancer patients
Time : 10:00-10:30
Biography:
Karl R Aigner is Medical Director of the Department of Surgical Oncology in Medias Klinikum Burghausen (Bavaria)/Germany. He had his surgical training inrncardiovascular surgery at Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen. At Justus-Liebig University Giessen, he specialized in surgical oncology, focusing on vascularrntechniques of drug delivery such as Implantofix and Jet Port Catheters, and in 1981 first performed a technique of isolated perfusion of the liver with heart-lungrnmachine in man. Furtheron, he developed various techniques of segmental vascular isolation of body segments and organs, and the stopflow technique withrnadequately designed catheters. In 1982, together with Prof. Stephens from Sydney, he initiated the biannual International Congress of Regional Cancer Treatmentrn(ICRCT) and from 1987 to 1991 was President of the International Society for Regional Cancer Therapy. From 1985 to 1998, he was Managing Editor of thernInternational Journal Regional Cancer Treatment. He is author of numerous publications and book chapters, lectured and performed teaching operations onrnvascular perfusion techniques and oncological surgery in Europe the United States and Asia.
Abstract:
Introduction: Standard treatment for tumors of the head and neck are radiochemotherapy and surgery. In far, advanced orrnrecurrent cases surgery may be impossible or mutilating and side-effects from irradiation in terms of nerve damage and mouthrndryness are not reversible. In order to avoid toxicity and permanent tissue and nerve damage, we performed a study withrncarotid artery infusion and chemofiltration for simultaneous detoxification.rnMaterial & Methods: Carotid artery infusion was accomplished either via angiographic catheters in Seldinger’s technique orrnby means of end-to-side implantation of Jet Port Allround catheters into one or two carotid arteries respectively. Intra-arterialrninfusion time of a three-drug combination consisting of Cisplatin, Adriamycin and Mitomycin in 7 to 10 minutes short termrninfusions generates local drug levels eighty- to hundred-fold higher than during systemic chemotherapy. A total of 26 patientsrnwere included in the study, 18 patients in clinical stage IV, 5 in stage III and 3 in stage II respectively. For follow-up control andrndetermination of adverse effects, blood work (hemoglobine, white blood count, platelets, cardiac, kidney and liver enzymes),rnperformance scale, pain score, survival rate, hospitalization and side-effects were noted.rnResults: Five out of 26 patients died from their disease, one after a car accident. The average follow-up time was 45 months.rnStage IV patients who died had an average survival time of 11 months after onset of therapy. Surviving patients have notrnreached the median survival rate yet and are still alive on an average of 43 months after onset of therapy. There was no relevantrnhematologic toxicity (WHO Grade I – II) and there was no neurotoxicity. Vital parameters such as the ability to speak orrnto swallow usually improved after the second or third out of five treatment cycles. The major surgical complication was therndissection of the carotid artery in three cases.rnConclusion: Regional chemotherapy for advanced cancers of the head and neck area in terms of intra-arterial infusion withrnchemofiltration induces rapid tumor shrinkage without relevant toxicity and substantially improves quality of life.
Keynote Forum
Barry J Allen
University of Western Sydney
Keynote: Targeted radio-immunotherapy for metastatic prostate cancer
Time : 10:00-10:30
Biography:
Prof Barry Allen, DSc, OA, is an internationally recognized expert on Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT) for cancer. He was successful in developing new preclinical agents for the treatment of melanoma, leukaemia, breast, prostate, pancreatic, ovarian and colorectal cancers, leading to world first phase 1 trials of intralesional and systemic TAT for metastatic melanoma. Prof Allen’s contributions to medical physics were recognized on his inclusion in the 50 outstanding medical physicists at the 50th Anniversary Conference on Medical Physics in 2013. He was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2015. He has published some 340 refereed publications
Abstract:
Prostate cancer claimed an estimated 136,500 lives globally in 2011. Recurrent disease is usually treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which provides outstanding early but transient control of progression. The tragedy here is that the benefits of ADT are lost within 2 years for most men as the cancer progresses to an incurable “late-stage†castrate resistant form of the disease (CRPC) with median survival of ~18 months. The minimal residual disease states derived from prostatectomy and ADT provide clear windows of opportunity for an effective systemic adjuvant therapy with minimal side effects. Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is such a therapy, where antibodies specific for cancer biomarkers are labelled with alpha-radionuclides to more efficiently kill cancer cells with reduced adverse events. The success of systemic TAT in clinical trials for advanced metastatic melanoma indicates efficacy with minimal side effects. rnImproved molecular profiling of tumours now allows for therapies like TAT to be personalized for the patient’s cancer, leading to the next generation of adjuvants for the treatment of minimal residual disease states following prostatectomy and ADT. This paper examines the preclinical and clinical efficacy of TAT with c595 and J591 monoclonal antibodies, labelled with beta or alpha emitting radioisotopes, and its potential as an adjunctive therapy for the management of residual prostate cancerrn
Keynote Forum
Marc Griffiths
University of the West of England, UK
Keynote: The impact of new hybrid imaging technology on the nuclear medicine workforce: Opportunities and challenges
Time : 10:30-11:00
Biography:
Marc Griffiths is an Associate Dean within the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences at the University of the West of England, Bristol and completed his Professional Doctorate in 2014. His Professional Doctorate evaluated the impact of the introduction of new hybrid imaging technology on the nuclear medicine workforce. He has published a number of papers in peer reviewed journals related to the development of the nuclear medicine workforce and associated factors, including mentorship, education and training competencies. His works are closely with education commissioners and is involved in healthcare workforce planning and scenario modeling.
Abstract:
Health professionals across the world now work within an environment of flux and uncertainty, which inevitably presents new opportunities and challenges for the workforce in terms of developing new skills and knowledge. The introduction of any new hybrid imaging technology may require appropriate staff training, considerations for service redesign and patient workflow dynamics, as part of the change process. Staffing a modern hybrid imaging environment requires a skilled and competent workforce, who should have the opportunity to further develop their working practice and clinical service provision. Balancing the needs of effective service delivery, workforce development and holistic patient-centric care requires careful planning and collaboration with a range of healthcare professionals. Introducing new hardware and software technology requires appropriate social frameworks, which may include ensuring clarity of role and responsibilities in order that the emerging relationship with the patient is maintained. There is a potential danger of ‘patient objectification’ during high technology examinations, such as hybrid imaging techniques and the subsequent dehumanization process that may occur. Creating an environment where workforce flexibility is present, in terms of understanding the position of new technology within the patients’ journey and a greater understanding of the need to reshape the delivery of such clinical services, is paramount to the ongoing development of hybrid imaging within the modern healthcare domain.