New [SPECT] imaging technique
“Researchers have developed a radioactive tracer molecule to detect myeloid-derived suppressor cells’ (MDSCs) accumulating in the lung in preparation for the arrival of breast cancer cells and the formation of metastases.” Although still in the research stage it is this type of development of novel radiopharmaceuticals that advances nuclear medicine. Getting a new radiopharmaceutical to market and through demanding regulatory hurdles can take multiple millions of dollars and many years. The regulators, US FDA, and others view radiopharmaceuticals as they do other ethical drugs and require the same back-breaking investment before releasing the drug for use in humans. Prior to his passing Dr. Henry Wagner at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore urged regulators to reconsider the development and approval of radiopharmaceuticals. His point was simple, because these labeled drugs are administered in nano-molar quantities to patients there is no possibility that the radiopharmaceutical can harm the patient. Thallium-201, for instance, which was developed in the late 1970’s for nuclear cardiology perfusion testing, in its non-radioactive native form is used for rat poison. But when administered to humans in nano-molar quantities it is an effective radiopharmaceutical for imaging the heart. Moving nuclear medicine forward in an age of bio-markers and theranostics will require a new way of considering the development and regulatory approval of novel and useful radiopharmaceuticals.
https://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/news/65879/imaging-technique-predict-breast-cancer/