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University of Queensland’s Hyper-Accurate Cancer Treatment Tech

Radiopharmaceuticals are an emerging medical technology that delivers radiation therapy directly to cancer cells while sparing the rest of the body from the harsh effects of cancer treatment. Now, the University of Queensland is paving the way in the innovation and production of new radiation therapy drugs.

The newly created Advanced Manufacture of Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals (AMTAR) hub, established from an AU$5 million Australian Research Council grant and an AU$10 million from partners, will be a one-stop-shop for experts and industry to come together and streamline emerging radiopharmaceutical technologies.

Professor Kris Thurecht from UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and Centre for Advanced Imaging will lead the hub, alongside crucial pharma industry partners and some of the world’s best scientific minds.

In an interview, the professor stated that radiopharmaceuticals are a group of drugs that deliver radiation therapy directly and specifically to cancer cells. More specifically, they are isotopes bound to biological molecules that can target specific organs, tissues or cells. Focusing on very specific areas enables the reduction of the collateral damage – or side effects – that the human body usually experiences during radiation therapy like hair loss, skin changes, diarrhoea and loss of taste.

Professor Thurecht stated that while the history of radiopharmaceuticals dates to the 1920s, they are still considered an emerging branch of medical technology. As scientists and researchers develop a better understanding of the technology, they are being used more frequently, with high accuracy and sensitivity, in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer. Radiopharmaceuticals will be an integral part of modern healthcare. There are several agents on the market and many more in development. It is expected that their use will increase over the next 10 to 15 years.

With regards to the hub, the professor noted that in July 2022, an AU$5 million Australian Research Council grant was secured, allowing for the Hub for Advanced Manufacture of Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals (AMTAR) to be established at UQ. Essentially, the hub will use the capabilities and infrastructure on hand at UQ and the University of Sydney to gather some of the world’s best scientific minds and major pharma industry players.

While researchers are the hub and will not be expressly treating patients or addressing medical outcomes, they will be developing knowledge and technology platforms within the radiopharmaceutical manufacturing pipeline. The hub’s a one-stop shop that will help enhance Australia’s reputation in the field of radiopharmaceuticals, and importantly, open the region up to lucrative commercial opportunities.

Overall, AMTAR’s vision is to develop new technologies and establish a platform for smart design, manufacture and quality assurance of targeted radiopharmaceuticals. This will be done via collaborative research that improves the cost-effectiveness of production while ensuring there’s a process in place to manufacture new products here in Australia.

Nuclear medicine is increasingly being used in diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy. This has carved the way for the growth of the radiopharmaceutical market. Nuclear medicine assists in diagnosing the organs of any kind of pathological condition, especially cancer.

Recent research found that the radiopharmaceuticals market is expected to undergo a CAGR of 10.40% during the forecast period. This indicates that the market value, which was US$4.80 billion in 2021, would grow to US$11.69 billion by 2029.

“Diagnostic Applications” dominate the application segment of the radiopharmaceuticals market as a result of the rising incidences of medical ailments such as diabetes that are responsible for making the lower part of the body symptomatic and vulnerable.

The increasing focus on improving the condition of healthcare facilities and improving the overall healthcare infrastructure is a key driver of this market’s growth. A growing number of partnerships and strategic collaborations between the public and private players pertaining to funding and application of new and improved technology is further creating lucrative market opportunities.

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Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

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CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

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Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

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SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

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HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

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IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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